The Golden State Warriors, apart from their tough loss to the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night, have largely found their footing in the landscape of a tough Western Conference.
Yet, through this stretch, Jonathan Kuminga has been sidelined with a knee injury, and, frankly, the team has looked better in his absence. According to Sam Vecenie, on the latest episode of the Game Theory Podcast, things indeed look cleaner without Kuminga:
"It's not an accident to me that [Jonathan Kuminga] played 360 minutes this year, and, in the minutes that he's played, they lose by 3.9 per 100 possessions... It does just feel like this team looks better, to me, without him."Sam Vecenie
Kuminga, especially early in the season, was showing stark improvement from his subpar play a year ago. Nevertheless, one can't help but return to the question at hand. Does he fit within the Warriors offensive structure? What is his role on a team with Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green in the starting lineup?
Predictably, Kuminga's fit with the Warriors is under question again
Last season, as Kuminga's restricted free agency loomed, he got off to an amazing start to the season, as he averaged 16.8 points, five rebounds and 2.2 assists in the 32 games he played before he was sidelined with an ankle sprain.
Yet, when he returned, the team had added Butler to the lineup, and, with two non-shooters already present in him and Green, there was no longer a role for Kuminga, leading to him ultimately being cut out of the rotation entirely late in the season.
After a strong start this season, it appears as though the same questions about his fit are popping up again. Although having Kuminga on the floor provides the Warriors with an additional dynamic scoring force, his lack of ball movement and perimeter shooting makes it difficult for him to fill the role that the team needs him to in their starting lineup.
Is it possible that we're seeing an exact repeat of what happened last season?
If we are, Golden State is, yet again, stuck in a tough spot. Following a contentious restricted free agency, Kuminga ultimately signed a two-year, $48.5 million contract that, presumably, was constructed as a potential trade asset for this season.
Yet, if Kuminga's role becomes limited and he becomes unhappy, it will be difficult for him to rehabilitate his trade value, making it almost impossible for the Warriors to retrieve the difference-making player they would need to add in any deal involving the young forward.
It remains to be seen what approach Steve Kerr will take when Kuminga returns. However, the early signs of a disaster are already there, and they are highly concerning.