Jonathan Kuminga’s Warriors’ Tenure At Crossroads After Career High

On Friday night, the Warriors went into Los Angeles to face the feisty Clippers without both Stephen Curry and Draymond Green .

Naturally, this was a formula for disaster for the Dubs, who rely so heavily on Curry and Green for both their production and leadership.

Despite Jonathan Kuminga s career-high 34 points on 19 shots, Golden State was dominated in the third quarter, and LA staved off a furious comeback attempt in the fourth quarter to snag a 10-point victory.

Jonathan Kumingas Warriors Tenure At Crossroads After Career High Kumingas Career High Increased Trade Value With the Warriors now sitting at 15-15 after a tremendous 12-3 flurry to begin the season, talks have intensified around the organization, making one or more huge moves before the deadline to change the structure of the franchise.

This could happen in the form of an all-in trade(s) to infuse talent into the roster.

Alternatively, this could cause the organization to blow up the current group and start over from scratch.

Unless the Dubs want to trade away their franchise cornerstones in Curry and Green, it is unlikely that they will look to rebuild.

They owe Curry, Green, Steve Kerr , and Warriors fans another chance at legitimate championship contention.

So, where does Kuminga fit into this equation? The 22-year-old has had a nice season statistically, averaging 16.1 points and 4.8 rebounds in just 25.9 minutes per night, However, Kuminga has shown his youthful inexperience far too often for Kerrs liking.

The young forwards efficiency has dripped drastically this year, from 59.8 true shooting percent in his first three seasons to just 52.3 percent in his fourth campaign.

He has yet to develop a consistent three-point shot and struggles at the free throw line, making him a tough fit in Golden States pace and space offensive system.

Regardless, after a career-high night, more teams may look into acquiring Kuminga.

Conflict Between Kerr and Kuminga Speaking of their ball and player movement offensive game, Kuminga has struggled to learn how Kerr wants him to play to integrate himself into the team.

Instead, he has tried to force the action with his incredible athleticism and talent to score on his own terms against set defenses, and he simply doesnt have the skill or experience necessary to be effective as an isolation scorer.

He is also a poor off-ball defender due to inattentiveness and lack of focus despite the ridiculous athleticism he possesses.

This dynamic has been extremely damaging to the Warriors season, and Kerr has called out Kuminga several times in the media for his shot selection.

Steve Kerr on Jonathan Kuminga: Im not going to stop coaching (him).

The last two games, his field goal attempts, his decision making has been poor.

That needs to improve.

pic.twitter.com/wPYaBPEkn9 Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) December 24, 2024 What Is Kumingas Trade Value? Critics have defended Kuminga, arguing that Kerrs inability to develop young players stems from his veteran-first mentality and inability to allow his guys to grow through making mistakes.

Unfortunately, Kuminga has had three seasons of legitimate playing time to improve his decision-making on both sides of the floor and has shown little signs of doing so.

The Warriors dont have the time to wait for him to meet his potential, with Curry nearing the end of his superstar play.

This is why their two timelines approach has failed and set the organization back significantly.

Luckily, Kuminga still has great value on the trade market because he is a freshly-turned 22-year-old brimming with upside.

Notably, he will become a restricted free agent after this season.

Standing at 6-foot-8 with some of the best athletic tools in the league, he just needs a place where he can learn to harness his gifts on both ends of the floor without the pressure of an NBA legends career on the line.

As we saw over the summer, Kuminga was featured prominently in trade talks for stars such as Lauri Markkanen.

However, Golden State was unwilling to part ways with him and Brandin Podziemski .

Podziemskis value has cratered after a slow start to this year.

Nevertheless, a trade package surrounding those two, Andrew Wiggins , and draft compensation could allow the Warriors to land a star.

Ultimately, it would be best for both sides to move on.

This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission..

This article has been shared from the original article on yardbarker, here is the link to the original article.