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Kendra Andrews, ESPN
SAN FRANCISCO — When Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr scanned the box score of his team’s loss to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night, a number jumped out at him that he believed needed to change.
Forward Jonathan Kuminga played just 19 minutes. After he was pulled with 5:48 left in the third quarter and the Warriors trailing by two, Kuminga never returned.
“I’ve got to get him out there for longer, but these are really difficult decisions,” Kerr said Friday ahead of the Warriors’ 113-109 win over the Detroit Pistons. “Because it’s not just as simple as how many minutes a guy plays. It’s who’s playing, what’s the combination, what’s happening in the game.”
Before Friday’s game, The Athletic reported that Kerr’s decision to bench Kuminga for the final 17:48 against Denver caused Kuminga to lose faith in Kerr.
In the 20 hours between the Warriors’ back-to-back games, Kerr and Kuminga met in his office. Kerr said he encourages the entire team team to voice any displeasures or frustrations they have to him, saying his “door is always open.”
“I think it went really well,” Kuminga said. “I think it was just all about better understanding of each other. More communication. … Just us having that conversation today made me more comfortable that any time I have something to ask, I should just go up to his office. His door is open. Go up there and chill and wait for him to come back whenever. I think that’s what it’s all about — communication every single time if something is going wrong. Communication is the key.”
Against the Pistons, Kuminga, making his 12th consecutive start, played a season-high 36 minutes — including the entire fourth quarter — and had 11 points and six rebounds.
During his meeting with Kerr, Kuminga said he never once complained about his minutes or being pushed and pulled in and out of the rotation, a pattern that has been consistent through his three season with the Warriors.
Kuminga repeatedly said the meeting with Kerr was aimed at getting a “better understanding” of things. This entailed a better understanding of what he needs to do on the floor, whom Kerr is going to from night to night and whom Kerr trusts the most.
“It’s a difficult situation because every player naturally has his own goals, his own dreams,” Kerr said. “Everybody wants to flourish. Everybody wants to blossom. … I have very difficult decisions to make each and every night. JK is a young player who is growing. He’s getting better. It’s why he’s in the starting lineup.”
Against the Nuggets, Kerr chose not to put Kuminga back in because he wanted to stick with Andrew Wigginswho helped the Warriors outscore the Nuggets 44-24 in the third quarter. Kerr prefers not to play Kuminga and Wiggins together because their games are too similar, the coach said.
Kuminga made it clear Friday night that he doesn’t want it to seem like he and Wiggins are competing with each other for minutes every night. It’s about figuring out how to co-exist so they can both remain crucial parts of the team, he said.
“I love it here,” Kuminga said. “I got drafted here. There’s always ups and downs. I feel like when you look at all the ups and downs, that will confuse a lot of people. But I know Steve believes in me. I know he trusts me at this point. It was just more about communication and better understanding. It wasn’t no beef. None of that. Scratch whatever happens. It’s the past. Move on with better understanding and hoping we all can work with each other and help this team and leave everything in the past.”
