SAN FRANCISCO — An hour had gone by since the Warriors lost to the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, but the sounds of sneakers squeaking and basketballs bouncing still filled the hardwood.
Jonathan Kuminga, who had recently recorded a DNP-Coach’s Decision, was practicing his shots on the Chase Center court while most of his teammates had already left the venue. This marked Kuminga’s first DNP-CD since the 2023 Western Conference semifinals.
Steve Kerr has made an unexpected choice regarding Jonathan Kuminga
Earlier in the day, Warriors coach Steve Kerr spoke with Kuminga and informed him that he would not be part of the regular rotation in the first quarter, mentioning he would evaluate how the game progressed. Kerr did not outright tell Kuminga he would not play, as he was uncertain about that outcome.
Instead of Kuminga, Gary Payton II entered the game at the time Kuminga typically would, about midway through the first quarter. He logged 24 minutes and finished with two points, four rebounds, three assists, and one steal.
Buddy Hield and Kevon Looney both contributed 16 minutes from the bench. Quinten Post saw 10 minutes of action. The remaining minutes were allocated to the starters, who averaged 39.4 minutes in the overtime defeat. Jimmy Butler played for 48 minutes.
“We’ve established a lineup since Jimmy joined our team that we feel confident in,” Kerr noted. “Gui [Santos] didn’t play either. Gui has been our highest plus-minus player for the past two months. Both he and JK have made significant contributions to our team.
“And this doesn’t mean they are excluded moving forward; this is just how this particular game unfolded.”
This decision comes just three days after Kerr expressed concerns about Kuminga’s role within the team after Jimmy Butler’s arrival in early February.
“Each game presents its own challenges, and Jimmy’s presence has greatly limited Jonathan’s minutes at the four,” Kerr remarked Thursday on 95.7 The Game. “There’s no question that when Jimmy joined and we began winning, we leaned into the lineups that maximized Jimmy’s impact because we were successful, and Jonathan was sidelined during that period.
“We went something like 17 and 3, so we’ll continue with what’s been effective. However, to be honest, the combination of Jimmy, Jonathan, and Draymond does not work well together. We require more spacing. We’ve identified alternative lineups that have proven effective, and this is simply part of the nature of the NBA; we have to adjust to the team’s changing requirements.
“Jonathan has adapted well. He’s putting in the effort and performing effectively when he’s on the court. But I’m making decisions based on combinations that I believe will give us the best chance to win. Some nights he’ll definitely be part of that, like the game against the Lakers, and then on other nights I might choose Buddy [Hield] or Moses [Moody] or Gary Payton instead. The decisions fluctuate every game based on the situation, and I need to read that as a coach.”
The restructured Warriors finished with a 16-6 record in the 22 games during Kuminga’s recovery from an ankle injury. However, upon his return, they recorded an 11-4 record leading up to Sunday’s loss.
It appears they have managed to find ways to win both with and without Kuminga. The 22-year-old achieved a personal best of 34 points off the bench in Golden State’s most recent game against Los Angeles in December. 27, also contributing 10 rebounds in that contest, an area where the Warriors could have benefitted from his assistance on Sunday.
The Los Angeles team outperformed Golden State in rebounding, 42 to 25. The task of dominating the boards will only become more challenging.
The Clippers rank 17th in rebounding in the league. The Memphis Grizzlies, whom the Warriors face in the NBA play-in match on Tuesday, hold the second-best ranking.