The Warriors failed to clinch a playoff berth in their regular-season finale against the Clippers on April 13. The bigger storyline coming out of the game is that Warriors head coach Steve Kerr refused to play fourth-year forward Jonathan Kuminga throughout the 48 minutes.
Kerr faced a lot of backlash from fans and analysts alike for his handling of Kuminga, a restricted free agent in the offseason.
Warriors podcaster Cyrus Saatsaz wondered how the Clippers played Ben Simmons, another non-shooter, but the Warriors could not find playing time for Kuminga.
“Ty Lue figured out a way for Ben Simmons to fit but Kerr can’t get Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green and Jonathan Kuminga to fit?” he wrote on X.
Ty Lue figured out a way for Ben Simmons to fit but Kerr can’t get Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green and Jonathan Kuminga to fit? 🤦🏻
Another Warriors fan felt it was evident that Kerr had lost all faith in Kuminga.
I think Kerr is officially off the Kuminga wagon whewww
After the loss, Kuminga was seen getting up shots in practice.
Jonathan Kuminga getting shots up after receiving a DNP in loss to Clippers
Player and Coach Previously Clashed
After the loss on April 13, Kerr explained his reasoning behind not playing Kuminga, who averaged 15.3 points and 4.6 rebounds entering the contest.
“We’ve just found a group since Jimmy got here that we’re pretty comfortable with,” Kerr said, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “Gui [Santos] didn’t play either. Gui’s been our highest plus-minus guy over the last two months. Both he and JK have been really impactful players for us.
“And it doesn’t mean they’re out of the loop going forward, it’s just this is how this game played out.”
Kuminga himself did not address reporters after he received a DNP.
During the 2023-24 season, several reporters reported a rift between Kerr and Kuminga after the latter felt the coach was underutilizing him.
According to Shams Charania and Anthony Slater, Kuming had “lost faith” in Kerr’s ability to utilize him after a game against the Nuggets in October 2024.
Jonathan Kuminga Faces ‘Murky’ Future
“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,” read the report published October 21, 2024.
With Kuminga set to become a restricted free agent after the 2024-25 season, there’s no guarantee he will remain a Warrior in the 2025-26 campaign. Technically, the Warriors will have the right to match any/all offer sheets from interested suitors. However, Forbes’ Evan Sidery believes Kerr’s refusal to utilize Kuminga in the regular season finale may have been a sign of things to come in the 2025 offseason.
Jonathan Kuminga was a DNP-CD in the Warriors’ must-win finale to avoid the Play-In.
“We’ve just found a group since Jimmy got here that we’re pretty comfortable with,” Steve Kerr said.
An upcoming restricted free agent, Kuminga’s future in Golden State appears murky at best.
As puzzling as Kerr’s decision was, he was under immense pressure entering the regular-season finale. With a playoff berth up for grabs, Kerr wanted only to field the players he trusted the most. The OT thriller saw Jimmy Butler log 48 minutes, Brandin Podziemski 43, and Stephen Curry and Draymond Green 38 apiece. The only bench player to receive significant playing time was Gary Payton II, who logged 25 minutes, in large part for his perimeter defense on Kawhi Leonard and James Harden.
