Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has made a surprise decision on recently re-signed power forward Jonathan Kuminga just in time for the team’s 2025-26 regular season opener Tuesday night, on the road against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Per Chris Haynes of NBA TV, Kerr will start Kuminga among his first five.
In a surprise corresponding move, Kerr has opted to shift Golden State’s top free agency signing, 39-year-old former All-Star big man Al Horford, into a reserve role.
Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reports that Kuminga will start at the power forward slot, with 6-foot-6 10-time All-Defensive Teamer Draymond Green serving as the team’s small-ball starting center. 11-time All-NBA point guard Stephen Curry, shooting guard Brandin Podziemski, and six-time All-Star small forward Jimmy Butler will round out Kerr’s first five.
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Green will do his darnedest to thwart 7-footer Deandre Ayton, eight years his junior. Los Angeles’ splashiest addition of the offseason was bringing in the former No. 1 pick on a two-year, $16.2 million free agent deal after he agreed to a contract buyout with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Lakers All-NBA superstar power forward LeBron James will be on the shelf until at least next week with a sciatica injury on his right side, which has apparently been befuddling him for much of the offseason.
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Second-year Los Angeles head coach JJ Redick will surround new starting center Ayton with five-time All-NBA First Team point guard Luka Doncic, newly-elevated 6-foot-3 shooting guard Gabe Vincent, 6-foot-5 now-small forward Austin Reaves, and power forward Rui Hachimura. Vincent and Reaves are both playing up a spot from their more natural positions, although the 6-foot-6 Doncic could be matched up against Podziemski on defense for much of the night.
Kuminga’s Messy Path Back to Golden State This Summer
A messy, protracted restricted free agency negotiation with the Warriors appeared to sour Kuminga’s relationship with squad. The 23-year-old did eventually agree to a brief, fairly reasonable two-year, $46.8 million new deal. This decision could potentially repair the damage — or, at least, make him look more appetizing to rival trade partners than a bench role would have.
The 6-foot-8 power forward is one of the Warriors’ most athletic players, able to get a massive head of steam going downhill. He’s a somewhat inconsistent shooter, and his decision-making has at times aggravated Kerr. But he’s still one of the highest-upside young pieces on this current Warriors roster, the exact kind of talent Golden State will need to hit if it’s hoping to bring its aging core (all of Curry, Butler, Green and Horford are 35 or older) back to the NBA Finals next summer.
In 47 games last year, mostly off the bench (10 starts), Kuminga averaged 15.3 points on .454/.305/.668 shooting splits, 4.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 0.8 steals a night.
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