PHOENIX — As Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr tried to put Jonathan Kuminga’s roller-coaster five-year tenure into context, he acknowledged that he “could have done a better job” of making the young forward’s transition to the league a little easier.
“(Kuminga) is a really good guy,” Kerr said before Thursday’s game against the Phoenix Suns. “It’s been obviously a rocky road for him and for us. It wasn’t always the right fit obviously, kind of in and out of the rotation, I think that was tough for him. Tough for us as well trying to navigate everything. But through all of that, I always enjoyed being around him. I respected him and the way he treated his teammates.
Advertisement
“I really hope JK finds his way, whether it’s in Atlanta or wherever else. I really want to see him succeed, and I’m sorry that it didn’t happen here. We all take ownership of that. Definitely things I could have done better.”
Kuminga’s time with the Warriors officially ended Thursday afternoon when his trade to the Atlanta Hawks was finalized. Golden State received Kristaps Porziņģis while also sending out Buddy Hield.
When asked specifically about some of the things he could have done better to help Kuminga, Kerr declined to publicly offer many specifics. He did note that Kuminga, who was selected with the No. 7 pick in the 2021 draft, was placed into a tough situation for any young player.
“I just think without going into too much detail, organizationally, the right path for us, for him, it was always tricky to navigate,” Kerr said. “And we all share in that, myself included. I’m not gonna go into detail, but he was undoubtedly put in some tough spots. Coming to a championship team his rookie year, a team that was continuing to try to compete at the highest level, and he got here with very little experience. That’s a tough thing to reconcile. I wish I had done a better job of making that happen.”
Kuminga, now 23, continued to show flashes of strong play throughout his five years with the Warriors, but he also struggled to maintain the consistency the Warriors were hoping to see.
{“endpoint”:”https://api-prd-nyt.theathletic.com/graphql”}
For his part, Kerr is still hopeful that Kuminga will be able to find his way with a fresh start in Atlanta.
“The thing in the NBA is, opportunity is everything,” Kerr said. “What you learn as a young player is sometimes you just need the right situation. Most players actually need the right situation. Most people need the right situation. So I’m hopeful that he can take what he’s learned in his experience, the ups and the downs, the good and the bad, transfer that to his next opportunity and seize that opportunity.”
Advertisement
Kuminga’s divorce from the Warriors marked an end to the vaunted “two timelines” plan the organization was hoping to put into place around Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson years ago. The plan didn’t go as the Warriors hoped. James Wiseman, the No. 2 pick in the 2020 draft, never became a solid pro and is out of the league. Kuminga just got traded away. The No. 14 pick in 2021, Moses Moody, is a rotation player for the Warriors but hasn’t developed to the level the Warriors were hoping to see at this point.
“For sure we’ll have internal discussions organizationally about what we need to do going forward,” Kerr said. “That should be happening all the time. And it is.”
Kuminga, now 23, continued to show flashes of strong play throughout his five years with the Warriors, but he also struggled to maintain the consistency the Warriors were hoping to see. Veteran Warriors forward Draymond Green said after Thursday’s win over the Phoenix Suns that he hoped Kuminga would continue to grow as a player in a new environment.
“I saw coach’s comments,” Green said. “Where he was just saying (Kuminga) didn’t get a chance to make many mistakes, because we’re trying to win. That’s always been kind of the tough part with young guys and trying to win. You come into this league, you have to make mistakes to learn. But when you’re with a group that’s trying to compete for championships, you don’t always get that leash. And I think he’ll get a little more of that now.
“And the same mistakes he was making two-three years ago, he don’t make now, but if you haven’t quite had the opportunity to let all of it run its course, then you’re still somewhere along that process … I hope he go and become the player we all thought he’d become here.”
Kerr sounded optimistic that Porziņģis, who hasn’t played since Jan. 7, would be able to suit up and contribute quickly for the Warriors. The 30-year-old big man is expected to join the Warriors on Friday in Los Angeles. He is not expected to play Saturday against the Los Angeles Lakers, but the Warriors hope he is ready to play soon thereafter.
Advertisement
“He’s an established player,” Kerr said. “The kind of player we’ve been looking for for years. Legitimate 3-point shooter, rim protector — tough to find that combination in one player. The biggest thing is his health. I don’t think we would have made the trade if we didn’t think he could be healthy and consistent in terms of being in the lineup. So that’s the plan.
“Obviously he’s got to get here and Rick (Celebrini’s) got to work with him, but Rick and the staff did their due diligence, so there’s a hope that we can help him really get right. When he’s right, he’s a hell of a player. We’re looking at a guy who really fits what we need — size, space, shooting, rim protection. Every team needs that but we’ve always needed that since I’ve been here. We’ve never really had a player quite like him.”
As for the rest of this season, Kerr said he’s hopeful that his 27-24 group can make a postseason push once Curry returns to the fold and Porziņģis gets on the floor with his new team.
“I think we still have a good team, a very good team,” Kerr said. “And even without Jimmy (Butler) I feel we can make a playoff run. The ceiling is absolutely lower. I’m not going to sit here and lie and say we can be as good as we were with Jimmy. There’s no way. But I believe in these guys, I believe in the chemistry, the veteran leadership. If we have good health, I think we can make a really good push and be a playoff team. And when you’re a playoff team, you never know how it plays out.”