Looks like Jonathan Kuminga has had enough.
Steve Kerr is a four-time NBA champion coach with the Golden State Warriors, but he hasn't been without criticism, especially this season as the team has struggled to stay in the top flight with a 17-18 record. .
And there has reportedly been criticism from within his own team.
Reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic. Big man Kuminga said he had “lost faith” in Kerr and “no longer believed that Kerr could help me reach my full potential.”
Kerr then responded to the report, focusing on the morale of the talented young swingman, whom the Warriors selected seventh overall in the 2021 draft.
“I've been playing for 15 years, and for 15 years I've been frustrated with my playing time,” Kerr told reporters Friday night before the Warriors' 113-109 home victory over the woeful Pistons. Ta. Kuminga started that game and led the team for 36 minutes.
“We talked about it,” Kerr admitted. “Obviously, these things are better discussed behind the scenes. Every time something like that comes out into the public domain, it's a distraction. … We're here because we have a problem. He is the friendliest coach in the world. My door is always open.”
Kuminga, who is in his third year with the Warriors, is averaging a career-best 12.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.
Spend the season with the Warriors. Getty Images
The athletic, 6-foot-8 combo forward, who had 11 points and six rebounds in the win over Detroit, is playing a career-high 22.1 minutes per night and has played in 13 of 34 games this season. Although he was a starter, he looked ready to go. This season continues to have an even bigger impact.
Notably, he sat for the final 18 minutes of the Warriors' loss to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday.
“His normal return time was about five or six minutes,” Kerr said, according to NBC Sports Bay Area. “[Andrew Wiggins] We were playing great, we were doing well, we were up 18, 19, whatever it was.So we were just together [the finishing group].
Despite starting, he played only 19 minutes, including the first six minutes of the third quarter, and was sent off.
Kuminga has an increased role due to Draymond Green's suspension and Wiggins' ineffectiveness. He is expected to earn $7.6 million next season.the last of his rookie-scale contract.
He is scheduled to become a restricted free agent in 2025.
