After a hot start to the season, the Golden State Warriors are looking for a spark to get them back on the right track. And while Stephen Curry playing up to his potential will go a long way, the Warriors have made a drastic change by moving Draymond Green to the bench in favor of Jonathan Kuminga.
Last season, Kuminga reportedly became upset at Warriors coach Steve Kerr for inconsistent minutes. This year, Kuminga's minutes have also been up and down, but that may no longer be the case moving forward. The fourth-year player, who started the first three games of the season, is back in the starting lineup for the foreseeable future.
While Kuminga started alongside Curry, Green, Trayce Jackson-Davis, and Andrew Wiggins to open the season, Kuminga's return to starter status has come at the expense of former Defensive Player of the Year Green, who came off of the bench last night vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves for just the sixth time in the last decade. Green had missed the two previous games due to injury, and upon return, he was replaced by Kuminga, who started with Curry, Wiggins, Brandin Podziemski, and Kevon Looney.
Draymond Green, Stephen Curry talk Jonathan Kuminga becoming Warriors starter
Both Kuminga and Green received considerable minutes in the 107-90 loss and likely continue to do so, but Green said after the defeat that Kuminga deserved to be elevated.
“I've been one of JK's biggest fans since he's been here,” Green said, “and so if he has an opportunity to start, you can't be hypocritical… I am a product of my vet being willing to take a backseat for me, so gotta give back what came to you.
“…A lot of people in this organization, including myself, think he is next. So if he is next, at some point we gotta see it. And for him to do that, he needs the opportunity. Like I said, if the opportunity falls on you, meaning me, then that's what it is. You gotta figure it out. He's earned the right to get that opportunity.”
Curry, who has played with Green since the latter was drafted by the Warriors in 2012, said after Friday's loss that Kuminga's growth, in particular, will be a big key to the Warriors' success.
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“For us to be good, you saw flashes against Houston, we need him to be his best version,” Curry said, via ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk.
During the first 15 games of the season, Kuminga averaged 13.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in 22.7 minutes per game. Over the last five games, following a two-game absence due to illness, Kuminga's playing time has shot up to nearly 28 minutes per game. He has averaged 19.2 points and 4.0 rebounds in that timeframe
Despite Kuminga's expanded role, the Warriors are struggling mightily. After starting the season with a 12-3 record, Golden State is 1-6 in its last seven. Once the top team in the Western Conference, the Warriors are now tied for fifth place and just 1.5 games ahead of 11th.
