Steve Kerr's decision to remove Jonathan Kuminga from the Golden State Warriors rotation has been a controversial one over recent games, but clearly one the head coach thought necessary in order to get his team back to winning ways.
While the idea of benching Kuminga was supposed to lead to more winning basketball, that hasn't been the case over the last two games which leaves the Warriors facing more regret over their handling of the young forward.
Warriors face instant regret on recent Jonathan Kuminga benching
Golden State found initial success without Kuminga when they blew out the Chicago Bulls at United Center the previous Sunday, but have since suffered a pair of disappointing defeats to the Minnesota Timberwolves and Portland Trail Blazers.
Despite 39 points from Stephen Curry and with Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards on the sidelines, the Warriors allowed a 17-0 run in the fourth-quarter and ultimately faltered in the final two minutes after briefly re-taking the lead.
Curry was even better on Sunday in Portland, drilling 12 threes and going for 48 points. The 2x MVP's latest explosion went to waste though as the Trail Blazers put up 136 points in a five-point win after entering as the 21st-ranked offense in the leage.
Kerr chose not to go to Kuminga in either game, making it three-straight DNPs for the 23-year-old after starting (and often impressing) in the first 12 games of the season. Quite clearly this benching will have done nothing for Kuminga's trade value, with all eyes on the January 15 date when the former seventh overall pick officially becomes eligible to be moved again.
Benching Kuminga and diminishing his trade value is fine, so long as you're benefiting by actually winning games. If Kuminga isn't playing and the Warriors are still losing/aren't playing well, then what's the plan right now?
With Draymond Green returning on Sunday against Portland, and Al Horford potentially making his way back from injury shortly, it doesn't appear overly easy for Kuminga to find his way to the frontcourt rotation.
It doesn't particularly say much for his viability when Kerr chose to go to three and even four-guard lineups against the Timberwolves -- a team Kuminga played well against in last season's playoffs. Kerr also lamented the difference in athleticism against the Trail Blazers, yet there was still no Kuminga sighting to address that issue.
Perhaps the Warriors have just decided Kuminga isn't part of their future beyond the deadline, and therefore there's no point playing him right now. In the meantime though they're not helping his trade value, and nor are they getting the results to justify his recent benching.