With his team treading water in the early season, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr made the seismic decision to start Jonathan Kuminga in place of beloved franchise champion, Draymond Green. After the game, despite the loss, Draymond made a public show of support for Kuminga and described the moment as his opportunity to prove his worth.
“A lot of people in this organization, including myself, think he’s next,” Green said, via Anthony Slater. “So, if he’s next, at some point, we gotta see it. For him to do that, he needs the opportunity. If the opportunity falls on you — being me — then, that’s what it is. You gotta figure it out. He’s earned the right to get that opportunity.”
Draymond, 34, knows that he’s near the end of his career and that the Warriors will have to pivot to a younger core to avoid a drastic fall-off. As the Warriors’ best young player with amazing potential on both ends, Jonathan Kuminga is the next one up to take the mantle and establish himself as the future of the Warriors.
Even 4x champion Stephen Curry is embracing the change and he recognizes just how different his team is now than it was during the peak of his career years ago.
“We’re a different team than we’ve been the last three years,” Curry said. “The experimental phase of trying to unlock new looks, new go-to sets, put the ball in his hands, it’s time for that for sure.”
For Steve Kerr, the key to making this a successful transition is to find a balance between the core veterans and rising young players like Kuminga, Moody, and Brandin Podziemski. Of course, it will be a process to find the right formula but there is a comprehensive plan in motion.
“We’ll see what happens with Wiggs and Moses,” Kerr said. “Every injury affects every rotation. But the idea is we are trying to make the most of Jonathan’s ability to get downhill, to get him more time. We’re searching for ways to get (Kuminga and Wiggins) more involved and not wear down Draymond and Steph. That’s kind of the trick. Then, finding combinations within that.”
The Warriors have fallen hard since their 12-3 start and many fans have started to panic over fears that the season is already lost. During their recent losing streak, Steve Kerr resorted to tweaking the rotation in an attempt to flip the momentum but the results have been the same so far.
In the Warriors’ 107-90 loss to the Timberwolves, they shot a measly 39.0% as a team and 28.2% from three. Kuminga wasn’t horrible in the game but his impact was minimal with 13 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 turnovers on 6-15 shooting.
With a full rotation, perhaps the Warriors can become a formidable team but as it stands now it just doesn’t appear like they have enough to sustain a high win percentage in the West this season. Unless Kuminga takes a leap, or the Warriors trade for another star, it’s going to be difficult for them to keep up with the best teams and they’ll likely be resigned to the NBA play-in bracket for the second straight season.
Up next, the Warriors play the Minnesota Timberwolves at Chase Center at 8:30 PM EST on December 8th. The NBA Emirates Cup continues on the 11th, when the Warriors face the Rockets at Toyota Center for the West Quarterfinal. Their next non-tournament game is on Tuesday, December 19th at 8:00 PM EST, against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum.
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