The Golden State Warriors find themselves in a race to the play-in tournament, as they are just a game ahead of the Houston Rockets, who are 11th in the Western Conference. The Rockets have won 10 straight games and have been on the Dubs' heels with each passing game.
The two teams face off on Thursday, April 4th, which will surely determine the final play-in berth. The Warriors are battle-tested and have an abundance of experience playing in high-stakes games, as evidenced by their four championships in the last decade. Assuming the Warriors secure the final spot, Steve Kerr will need to tweak his rotations.
Let's take a look at which players could get squeezed out of the lineup.
5. Jonathan Kuminga
Jonathan Kuminga has been a polarizing figure in Warriors circles. Those who love him, absolutely love him.
And those who dislike him, vehemently dislike him. Kuminga started out in Steve Kerr's doghouse and was the subject of trade rumors. Kuminga lost faith in Kerr, as a result of his inconsistent playing time.
Kuminga was inserted into the lineup and flashed the ability to be a high-level contributor for the Dubs. However, he's still a raw prospect who doesn't have the best basketball IQ.
Kuminga seems to forget that Stephen Curry is on the roster at times and fails to get him the ball in crunch time. And he doesn't put pressure on the defense as a spacer, due to his inconsistent long-range shot.
Kuminga's warts could cause Kerr to reduce his minutes in the postseason, yet again, which would be a tremendous mistake, due to his ability to create instant offense.