At this point, the rift between Jonathan Kuminga and Steve Kerr is well-documented. With the growing frustrations from this relationship paving the way for Kuminga’s eventual exit from the Golden State Warriors this season, it is apparent that matters reached a point of no return.
While the consensus was that Jonathan Kuminga was frustrated because of how Steve Kerr managed his minutes, a recent report by ESPN’s Anthony Slater revealed new details about Kerr’s expectations for Kuminga, highlighting the misalignment between the two. He wrote:
“Kerr had long made comparisons to Shawn Marion and Aaron Gordon, believing Kuminga’s best career stretches came as an energy wing who sprinted the floor, operated out of the dunker spot, rebounded, defended with versatility, and didn’t need offense run through him.”
In Steve Kerr’s ideal vision, the template for his wings was already set. Having featured the likes of Andre Iguodala and Andrew Wiggins as key players in his championship rosters, the Warriors head coach knew exactly what he needed.
To some extent, this may have been what Kerr demanded from Kuminga. Given the forward’s athletic gifts, he was more than capable of executing offensively, though he didn’t necessarily match the defensive intensity or versatility of players like Shawn Marion and Aaron Gordon.
However, Slater continued by noting:
“As Kuminga’s career developed, Kuminga believed he’d shown enough in supplementary roles to have earned more consistent trust and on-ball opportunity. Neither happened to his liking, sources said, only hardening his belief that Kerr and general manager Mike Dunleavy would only ever view him as a run-fast, jump-high athlete without the requisite skill to be a lead option.”
One of Jonathan Kuminga’s more noteworthy aspirations involved his dream of becoming an All-Star someday. While the league acknowledged his potential, especially at the young age of 23, Steve Kerr was convinced that the forward would only have a bigger part to play in the rotation if he adhered to his role.
While there have been several rumors hinting at other reasons leading to Kuminga’s exit, this one in particular is a tragedy for the Warriors, who stood to gain much more from grooming Kuminga as the future face of the franchise.
Although trading him to the Atlanta Hawks helped them acquire Kristaps Porzingis, Golden State’s timeline has shifted, making their championship window even smaller.
Meanwhile, Jonathan Kuminga finds himself in an interesting position with the Hawks. Although the team already features a franchise player in Jalen Johnson, Kuminga has the chance to assert himself as a capable co-star.
The Hawks are likely to undergo a rebuild this upcoming offseason. If Jonathan Kuminga remains a part of their plans moving forward, the 23-year-old will have ample opportunities to earn more playing time and fulfill his potential as a star-caliber player.
