Steve Kerr Addresses Jonathan Kuminga Fallout After 1st Game Since Warriors-Hawks Trade
While Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr acknowledged things didn't work out from a basketball perspective with Jonathan Kuminga, he is still rooting for the team's former forward.
"I like Jonathan. We always got along," Kerr told reporters after Saturday's 126-110 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, which was the first matchup between the two teams since Golden State sent Kuminga to the Eastern Conference club.
"The basketball part was the hard part. We couldn't quite offer him what he needed, and vice versa. We were a championship team. He needed, really, a lot of freedom and 35 minutes and to be able to make mistakes and learn, because he came in with very little experience. And we just couldn't offer him that. Bottom line. … We offered him what we could, which was 25 minutes and maybe a role that he didn't love, and it was never comfortable for either party on the basketball floor.
"On a personal level, he was great. He's a really good guy, got along well. We had our fair share of conversations about basketball that, you know, we had our differences. But on a personal level, we all root for him here."
It didn't appear as if there were any hard feelings when Kuminga met up with former teammates and coaches after the game and shared exchanges, including one with Kerr himself:
"Whatever they say, you can take however you want it," Kuminga told reporters. "But I am not worried about the past, I'm here. I'm very happy where I'm at. I'm doing great. … So whatever is being said, or whatever's going on, that's not my problem anymore. I'm into the next chapter with my teammates and we're trying to build something here."
While Kuminga's Hawks got the win, he didn't play well on an individual level.
He finished with two points and four rebounds on 1-of-9 shooting from the field and 0-of-3 shooting from deep. If he was looking for some type of dominant revenge-type performance against his former team, he will have to wait until their next meeting.
Golden State selected Kuminga with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft when it was very much in the middle of a competitive window that turned into a championship during his rookie campaign.
With veterans such as Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Jimmy Butler, among others, on the roster at times during Kuminga's tenure, his timeline never fully matched with that of the team. As a result, he saw his role change a number of times from starter to key player off the bench to someone who was out of the rotation entirely.
It was surely not the easiest basketball situation to develop in when he needed as much on-court experience as possible to fully live up to expectations. After all, Kuminga is still just 23 years old in his fifth season in the league and likely would have benefited from more consistent playing time early in his career.
While there were reports he and Kerr didn't always see eye-to-eye on things, neither seemed too worried about the past following Saturday's matchup.
