The Golden State Warriors’ have had a slow start to the season and unfortunately the fans have decided to lay the blame squarely on Jonathan Kuminga. Head coach Steve Kerr removed him the starting lineup didn’t help matters either. In the meantime, veteran Draymond Green has come out in support of the young gun, asking people to hold their tongues.
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Everything was fine and dandy surrounding the Warriors at the beginning of the season, when they were cruising at 4-1. People were even giving credit to Kuminga for appearing more bought into the team’s system. That narrative completely flipped after their 24-point loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Until that point, Kuminga had started each game. In the following match-up against the San Antonio Spurs, the Warriors elected to bring the 6-foot-8 forward off the bench. It was then that the gossip began. However, Green has asserted it’s not as deep as people are making out to be.
“Obviously, there was a lineup change. [Jonathan Kuminga] and [Brandin Podziemski] came off the bench. Will Richard and Moses Moody started. In large part, that was due to Steve just saying he wanted more spacing. He wanted more movement on the offensive end around Jimmy and Steph,” Green revealed on The Draymond Green Show.
There wasn’t anything Kuminga did that was necessarily wrong. Optically, it may not have been the best look, since the Warriors won their next game against the Spurs with Kuminga coming off the bench.
“I think people make starting and coming off the bench more than what it really is,” Green proclaimed. “When you look at [Kuminga], if you’re going to play similar minutes and you’re going to have an increased role in the offense, then you have to decide what puts me in the better position to succeed?” the 4-time NBA champion asked.
Drama began to arise during the Warriors’ most recent game against the Spurs. After the first half, Kuminga didn’t see any minutes and didn’t come out with the team for the remaining 24 minutes. People began to criticize Kuminga for this behaviour, but the truth is, they knew nothing about him suffering from knee tendonitis.
“I knew JK was questionable because his knees were sore before OKC,” Green revealed. “Oh my god. It’s not what y’all thought it was. How about this? JK’s been one of the most bought-in guys on the team all year. He’s not the f****** a****** and baby that y’all try to make him out to be!” he added.
It’s easy for people to view Kuminga as the problem, considering his complicated past with the team. Green, however, doesn’t want to hear any more narratives like that.
