The Golden State Warriors melted down against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night. After going up by 18 points with just under seven minutes to go in regulation, the Warriors were unable to stave off a torrid run by the defending champions. Denver tied things up with just under 30 seconds remaining, while Nikola Jokic hit a jumper from just inside of halfcourt as the buzzer sounded to give the Nuggets an improbable, 130-127 win.
Jonathan Kuminga sat and watched while all of this happened. The No. 7 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Kuminga went to the bench with 5:48 to go in the third quarter and never came back in. And apparently, frustration is boiling over for the 21-year-old wing, as Shams Charania and Anthony Slater report that Kuminga no longer has faith that he’ll be able to reach his potential so long as he is playing for Warriors coach Steve Kerr — it’s so bad that, per their reporting, a source said that Kuminga observing things on Thursday night was “the straw that broke the camel’s back.”
After the game, Kerr explained why he did not put Kuminga (who had 16 points, four rebounds, and four assists in 19 minutes of work) back into the game, expressing that it “didn’t feel it was the right thing to do.”
Here’s Steve Kerr on the decision not to go back to Jonathan Kuminga for the final 18 minutes tonight. pic.twitter.com/8ydWqtgS3X
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) January 5, 2024
This would not be the first time that there are rumors of discontent around Kuminga, as reports on the heels of last season indicated that he would be interested in a change in scenery if the team could not give him a larger role. While he’s posting career-best marks in scoring (12.8 points per game), rebounding (4.1 boards per game), and usage percentage (23.5 percent), there is a clear disconnect between how he is used and what he wants his role to be.