The Warriors' 130-127 implosion to the Denver Nuggets felt like an existential crisis. If that sounds like an exaggeration, Friday morning proved it was not.
According to Shams Charania and Anthony Slater of The Athletic, Jonathan Kuminga has "lost faith in Steve Kerr" and does not believe he will fulfill his potential with him.
Sharania and Slater report the following:
"After sitting for the final 18 minutes of Thursday night’s loss to the Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga has lost faith in coach Steve Kerr, and the 2021 lottery pick no longer believes Kerr will allow him to reach his full potential, sources close to Kuminga tell The Athletic, adding another layer of turbulence to an already complex Warriors season.
'(Thursday night) was the straw that broke the camel’s back,' one of the sources said."
Gulp.
Kuminga played the fewest minutes - 19 - of the nine Warriors players who saw the court Thursday night, but finished third on the team in scoring with 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting along with 4 rebounds and 4 assists.
He was 6-of-7 at the free throw line, the same as Nikola Jokic. Stephen Curry's three free throw attempts were second on the team.
As the Warriors fumbled an 18-point lead with less than seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, Kuminga watched. It was head-scratching to see an athletic wing who could slow the game down with trips to the stripe on the bench. Read a breakdown of the situation why Kerr's approach needed a reality check here.
Kuminga clearly feels like it's not even a head-scratcher. He feels like he knows what he's getting from his head coach, and doesn't believe Kerr will allow him to fulfill his potential. That sounds like as clear indication as any that he may want out.
The tea leaves were there after the Christmas Day loss to the Nuggets, when Kuminga told The Athletic's Marcus Thompson that he was struggling with how to handle his role.
“Sometimes, I come out the game not knowing what I did,” Kuminga said at the time. “And that messes with my head. It’s like, ‘What they want me to do?’ I can pass and I can do different shit.”
Sharania and Slater's report concludes with a point towards the trade deadline:
"Now, an erosion of trust from player to coach is apparent, a decaying partnership for two men in Kuminga and Kerr whom Golden State needs to co-exist for the future...
The frontcourt rotation mix will only get more crowded and complicated when Green returns from his suspension at some point relatively soon. The Feb. 8 trade deadline is a month away, and this floundering Warriors team must decide how to proceed with an expensive roster not currently getting it done."
It will be fascinating to see how Kerr and the team handle the situation. Golden State has no time to rest, with the NBA-worst Detroit Pistons (3-31) - and a hilariously-timed visit from James Wiseman - on the docket for Friday night.
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