Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry publicly showed his support for young teammate Jonathan Kuminga, who made headlines recently for his frustration towards head coach Steve Kerr.
Jonathan Kuminga doubts future with Dubs
For those who missed it, Kuminga’s name was mentioned in a lot of trade buzz in recent days after it was rumored that he had “lost faith” in Kerr. It came after the young wing was benched in the final 18 minutes of the game against the Denver Nuggets last Thursday despite putting up 16 points, four rebounds and four assists during his time on the floor.
According to reports, Kuminga “no longer believes Kerr will allow him to reach his full potential,” per The Athletic.
“(Thursday night) was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” the publication’s source added.
Sure enough, the issue added another layer to an already chaotic season for the Dubs. With Draymond Green suspended at the time and the team struggling, the last thing they needed was more internal problems.
Stephen Curry Shows Support for Golden State Warriors Teammate
Fortunately for the Golden State Warriors, it seems the issue between Jonathan Kuminga and Steve Kerr was resolved. During Friday’s showdown with the Detroit Pistons, Kuminga played for 36 minutes–the most among all players on the team–and posted 11 points, six rebounds and one assist.
Kuminga and Kerr had a discussion about his problem with his playing time, and after that meeting, the 21-year-old felt a lot better. He even emphasized his “love” for the franchise.
Stephen Curry, for his part, was supportive of Kuminga throughout. He added that the young gun had every right to be “upset” and “pissed off,” noting that he definitely should have not been benched against the Nuggets.
“I’ve been there before. He’s not wrong for being upset and pissed off, wanting to play. Probably should’ve played. Not probably. … But the ultimate challenge for anybody in this league is to not let the narrative be told for you and you not be able to address that with your own voice or directly with Coach or whatever the case is,” Curry said, according to another report from The Athletic.
“We all go through our challenges. We all go through our learning lessons. Like I said, he’s not wrong for being upset and frustrated. I heard Coach talk about it. He was kind of half-joking but serious about 15 years he was always upset with playing time. That’s a talking point in every locker room in some way, shape or form. There are ways to express it, ways to voice your opinion but protect the team. I’m just proud of the way he — we talked about it before the game. Go out and play. Go hoop. Be a professional. And that’s what he did.”
Hopefully, this sparks a turnaround for the Warriors as they look to climb the Western Conference standings and make the playoffs. Sure enough, as long as everyone buys in, the Dubs are more than capable of competing.
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