Given everything that Jonathan Kuminga has been through and all the ups and downs at the Golden State Warriors over the past four years, nothing should come as a major shock when it comes to the young forward and his playing time under head coach Steve Kerr.
For hardly the first time in his career, Kuminga was a notable DNP during Sunday’s blowout win over the Chicago Bulls. It proved the right decision as the Warriors eased to a 32-point victory despite the absence of Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, but it also represented the stunning benching of Kuminga’s career.
Steve Kerr’s latest Jonathan Kuminga benching is the most shocking one yet
Firstly, the most notable DNPs that Kuminga has got previously in his career has often been in the playoffs, such as last season’s first-round series against the Houston Rockets. While we can argue about whether or not those kind of moves were justified, we can all agree that it came at a point of maximum urgency, rather than a regular season game in the first two months of a campaign.
Secondly, the prospect of Kuminga being a DNP when Curry and Green are both out injured is something we’ve never really seen. Usually the opposite is true -- that the absence of the veteran stars gives Kuminga more opportunity to thrive and produce in a far greater way.
There was no greater example of that than in the last four games of last season’s second-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves where Kuminga, after seeing multiple DNPs against the Rockets, sprung to life and led the Warriors in scoring once Curry was sidelined by a hamstring injury.
Thirdly, Kuminga’s DNPs previously came while he was on a cheaper rookie contract. While it shouldn’t necessarily matter in a coach’s decision, there is undoubtedly different optics around benching your fourth-highest paid player.
This, and the need to retain his trade value for a mid-season move, were perhaps the biggest reasons why it wouldn’t have been surprising if Kuminga had maintained a role in the rotation on Sunday despite the fact he shot just 1-of-10 against the Cleveland Cavaliers 24 hours earlier.
Kuminga’s form since his return from injury, and the impressive play of Gui Santos and others, had warranted this move from a playing standpoint. However, there’s always been more aspects when it comes to the former seventh overall pick, with these multiple factors making Sunday’s benching the most surprising one yet.