Jonathan Kuminga was once considered the future of the Golden State Warriors.
Many believed he would be the face of the franchise after the Stephen Curry era, but after four seasons, that prediction appears to be in doubt.
Warriors owner Joe Lacob has long been one of Jonathan Kuminga’s biggest believers.
It’s no secret that he’s a big fan of young forwards and was a driving force in the decision to select Kuminga over other prospects like Franz Wagner in the 2021 NBA Draft.
Lacob even spoke directly to Kuminga this summer, when the contract impasse was still unresolved.
In a recent confessional, Lacob revealed that he asked head coach Steve Kerr to give Kuminga a more prominent role and play at least 25 minutes per game.
“Yes, those conversations happened, but they probably happened in a different way. Steve and I talk, but you know, I let Steve do the work,” Lacob revealed.
“He’s a coach. He’s been our coach for 12 years. It’s not like I’m firing a coach every year and paying three different coaches at once. We don’t do that.”
“We believe in continuity and we believe in Steve Kerr. He’s our coach. He’s done a great job. He’s won four championships. That’s his job. He’s coaching the team.”
Historically, despite Lacob’s opinion, Kerr’s rotations have reflected his own coaching philosophy.
In Kuminga’s four seasons with the Warriors, he only averaged more than 25 minutes per game once, and that was in 2023-24, when he started 46 games.
Last season, Kuminga’s average minutes dropped to 24.3 minutes and he started just 10 games.
Mr. Lacob clarified that his discussions with Mr. Carr were not limited to Mr. Kuminga.
“Yes, we’ve had discussions, but they’ve been more diverse than you probably think, and we’ve had discussions about not just JK, but other subjects as well,” Lacob said.
Ultimately, this dynamic highlights Carr’s unyielding idealism. That means players who don’t fit into the complex system built around Stephen Curry won’t get significant playing time, regardless of outside pressure.