Two months after The Athletic reported that Golden State Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga had lost faith in coach Steve Kerr, the 21-year-old striker expressed his desire to play for the Warriors for the rest of his career.
During a 40-minute interview on the Dubs Talk podcast with Kerith Burke and Monte Poole, Kuminga shared that he wants to be like Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green in the Bay Area. He also recalled that Kobe Bryant, his favorite player, stuck with one team throughout his career.
“When I look at those three guys – Steph, Klay and Draymond – and I look at their pictures at the practice facility every day, I think, ‘This is where I want to be. I want to be right there. I want to play here too life'” , Kuminga expressed. “Of course you don’t choose where you go, but you can set goals. I want my name next to them one day.”
“Golden State selected me in the Draft. Everyone is great, they always take care of me, they always help me grow,” Kuminga affirmed , “So I really want to be a Warriors player for life and not ever change”.
In early January, after a loss to the Denver Nuggets in which Kuminga only played 19 minutes and sat on the bench from midway through the third quarter until the end of the game, he and coach Steve Kerr had a conversation. On the podcast, Kuminga said that Kerr’s message was consistent with previous conversations.
“He always wanted to help me really see the whole situation ,” the 21-year-old explained. “Obviously, I used to see a bigger picture, but the way Steve explains it, things are much better. He’s more seasoned, knows how life goes, he also plays basketball. Whatever I do well, the coach feels I can do better.”
“I have never lost faith in the team. That’s not what I said ,” the talented Democratic Republic of Congo confirmed. ” I just feel like I need to be on the field, taking advantage of what I have to help Steph, Klay and Draymond.”
At that time, Golden State had a 16-18 record and Green had not yet completed his suspension. The lineup that included Kuminga and Andrew Wiggins had performed poorly, and Kerr’s coaching staff wanted to find a five-man group that performed well at both ends of the field. Since then, the Warriors have changed even more, with rookie Brandin Podziemski replacing Thompson in the starting lineup, until Curry’s recent ankle injury.
However, Green’s return has helped the Kuminga-Wiggins couple find their rhythm again. With Kuminga, Wiggins and Green on the court, Golden State has outscored opponents by 13.1 points per 100 possessions in 2024. Over the last 28 games, Kuminga is averaging 20.5 points with a shooting percentage 62% accuracy, plus 5.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.7 blocks in 30.3 minutes.