Jonathan Kuminga made headlines this week when it was reported he no longer trusts Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr with his development after not playing down the stretch in a loss to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday.
Kerr responded the next night by playing Kuminga for a season-high 36 minutes in Golden State’s 113–109 victory over the Detroit Pistons.
After the game, Warriors star Steph Curry addressed the situation, just the latest saga in an exhaustive list of drama at Chase Center this season.
“I’ve been there before,” Curry said of Kuminga to reporters. “He’s not wrong for being upset and pissed off, wanting to play. Probably should’ve played [late against the Nuggets]. Not probably. But the ultimate challenge for anybody in this league is to not let the narrative be told for you and you not be able to address that with your own voice or directly with coach or whatever the case is.”
Kuminga tallied 11 points and six rebounds on 4 of 8 shooting against the Pistons. He’s started all 11 games during Draymond Green’s indefinite suspension, but was clearly concerned about his playing time especially once the veteran returns and further complicates Kerr’s rotation.
“We all go through our challenges,” Curry said. “We all go through our learning lessons. Like I said, he’s not wrong for being upset and frustrated. I heard coach talk about it. He was kind of half-joking but serious about 15 years he was always upset with playing time. That’s a talking point in every locker room in some way, shape or form.
“There are ways to express it, ways to voice your opinion but protect the team. I’m just proud of the way he—we talked about it before the game. Go out and play. Go hoop. Be a professional. And that’s what he did.”
Curry, Kuminga and the Warriors (17–18) return to the floor Sunday against the Toronto Raptors.
