Report: Kuminga thinks Kerr limiting him from reaching potential
Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga has lost faith in Steve Kerr and doesn't believe playing under the head coach will allow him to reach his full potential, The Athletic's Shams Charania reports, citing a source close to the 21-year-old.
Kuminga is reportedly frustrated with the veteran bench boss after he was benched for the final 18 minutes of the Warriors' loss to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday. Denver, which trailed by 18 points in the final frame, erased the deficit over the game's final seven minutes before sealing the comeback win on a buzzer-beating three by Nikola Jokic.
"(Thursday night) was the straw that broke the camel's back," a source told Charania.
Despite not featuring in the fourth, Kuminga started Thursday's contest and finished with 16 points, four rebounds, and four assists in 19 minutes. The former seventh overall pick shot 5-of-7 from the floor and 6-of-7 from the free-throw line.
"(Kuminga) was playing great," Kerr said. "His normal time to go back in would have been around the five-, six-minute mark (of the fourth).
"(Andrew Wiggins) was playing great, we were rolling, were up 18, 19, whatever it was. So we just stayed with him. Then, at that (later) point, it didn't feel like the right thing to do," Kerr added. "He had been sitting for a while. So I stayed with the group that was out there, and obviously, we couldn't close it out."
"JK is a young player who's growing. He's getting better. It's why he's in the starting lineup. And he will continue to grow," Kerr told ESPN's Kendra Andrews said after inserting Kuminga into the starting lineup for Friday's game.
Kuminga began the season as a reserve but was promoted full time to the starting lineup on Dec. 14 against the Los Angeles Clippers. In 12 starts this season, the Congolese forward is averaging 15.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists, with a 64.5 true-shooting percentage, compared to 11.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 0.9 assists, and a 53.8 true-shooting percentage in 21 appearances off the bench.