The Golden State Warriors were already treading water—16–17 in 2024, with forward Draymond Green serving an indefinite suspension and an aging lineup struggling to keep the team on course.
Then came Thursday. Before a national television audience, the Warriors collapsed down the stretch and surrendered a walk-off 39-foot three-pointer to Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić at the buzzer.
The loss ratcheted up the spotlight on Golden State's woes, and reportedly alienated at least one Warrior. According to a Friday morning report from Shams Charania and Anthony Slater of The Athletic, Golden State forward Jonathan Kuminga “has lost faith in Steve Kerr and no longer believes that Kerr will allow him to reach his full potential.”
After sitting the final 18 minutes of Nuggets loss, Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga has lost faith in Steve Kerr and no longer believes that Kerr will allow him to reach his full potential, sources say.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 5, 2024
Story at @TheAthletic with @anthonyVslater: https://t.co/TIAGABnyS8
Kuminga, as Charania pointed out, rode the bench for the last 18 minutes of the Warriors' meltdown against the defending champions. He finished with 16 points, four rebounds and four assists in 19 minutes of action.
Golden State took Kuminga with the No. 7 pick in the 2021 draft, and he was a member of the Warriors’ 2022 championship squad. However, his minutes have ticked upward only modestly since his rookie year—from 16.9 in ’22 to 22.1 in ’24.
Despite this, Kuminga is averaging a career-high 12.8 points per game this season.
