For not the first time this series, the Golden State Warriors failed to generate enough offense in their 115-107 Game 6 loss to the Houston Rockets at Chase Center on Friday night.
As the teams prepare for one final meeting in a do-or-die Game 7 at Toyota Center on Sunday, the lacklustre state of the Warrior offense means they might have to turn to an unlikely hero -- Jonathan Kuminga.
Jonathan Kuminga was once again a DNP for the Warriors in Game 6
Kuminga's latest DNP in Game 6 was his sixth time out of the rotation in the last eight games, albeit one of those came on Wednesday when he missed Game 5 due to a migraine. The young forward has only played 43 total minutes in this series, all coming in Games 2 and 3 when Jimmy Butler was out with a glute contusion.
To bring Kuminga back for a series-deciding Game 7 would be incredibly risky and perhaps a shock based on his recent lack of playing time, not to mention it's on the road and he's 22-year-old with a lack of big-game experience.
But not playing him may also spell the end of Golden State's season, with his natural scoring ability something the team desperately needs. Steve Kerr confirmed that he and the rest of the coaching staff would look at all possible options in an attempt to avoid elimination, including the potential of a Kuminga recall to the rotation.
"Yeah 100% he's (Kuminga) on the table," Kerr said after the Game 6 loss."Obviously the last two games have gone very poorly, but we have to asses everything -- lineup combinations, starters, all of that we have to assess."
The Warriors have averaged nearly 10 points less in this series compared to the regular season, having shot less than 43% from the floor and less than 35% from 3-point range. Their lack of a consistent third scorer was evident on Friday night, with no player recording more than 13 points beyond Stephen Curry (29) and Jimmy Butler (27).
To not even utilize your third-leading scorer from the regular season under such circumstances is a contentious talking point. That's only exacerbated when you consider Kuminga had significant success against the Rockets during the regular season, having averaged 21.3 points which included a game-winning 33-point performance in December.
While not a consistent rebounder, Kuminga's athleticism and potential on the glass could also be crucial as Golden State attempt to combat the interior presence of Rockets big men Alperun Sengun and Steven Adams.
That word 'potential' is the story of his career though, with Kerr now needing to balance whether he and the Warriors are desperate enough to take a gamble on Kuminga's upside with the season on the line.