The Golden State Warriors haven’t had quite the season that most would have anticipated thus far, currently sitting at 16-18 on the year. Perhaps even worse is that some players are reportedly starting to grow frustrated with their roles on the team.
One player in particular, former No. 7 overall pick Jonathan Kuminga, reportedly isn’t too happy with his playing time in recent days.
Kuminga was in the midst of a terrific game on Thursday night. Midway through the third quarter, he has recorded 16 points with four rebounds and four assists. However, head coach Steve Kerr decided not to put Kuminga back in the game through the entirety of the fourth quarter.
According to Ron Kroichick of the San Francisco Chronicle, this prompted Kerr to speak to his team and Kuminga in particular about his frustration over playing time.
Steve Kerr says he met with Jonathan Kuminga today to talk about his frustration over playing time last night. Kerr also spoke to whole team. He acknowledged looking at box score afterward and thinking he needs to get Kuminga on the court more #Warriors
— Ron Kroichick (@ronkroichick) January 6, 2024
Ahead of the Warriors matchup on Friday against the Detroit Pistons, Kerr spoke to reporters about Kuminga’s frustration, saying that it is something that he and the rest of the young Warriors players need to get used to.
“I played for 15 years and all 15 I was frustrated with my playing time,” said Kerr. “This is how it works. This is the most competitive, lucrative league in the world. Every team had 15-17 guys that are all dying to play. Everyone is frustrated. A big part of being successful in this league is learning how to navigate this frustration. Learning how to constantly put yourself in a position to succeed. The more talent a guy has, the more chance they have of really blossoming. Especially if they are handling their business. That’s all part of the modern-day NBA is teaching these young guys how this has to work.”
"I played for 15 years, and all 15 I was frustrated with my playing time."
Kerr on if he's worried players will grow unhappy with inconsistent roles this deep into the season pic.twitter.com/leUnUG8oEE
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) January 6, 2024
Kerr does have a point. He knows better than anyone that young players have to patiently wait for a bigger role and eventually earn it with impressive play.
That being said, it can certainly be argued that Kuminga has done that, and deserves to be a bigger part of the team’s current gameplan each night.
