After a tension-filled offseason that left plenty of doubt about his future with the Golden State Warriors, Jonathan Kuminga earned high praise from his head coach following their season-opening win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.
Steve Kerr told reporters after the game that Kuminga has “really, really matured” coming into this season and highlighted how Jimmy Butler “has really helped” him as he looks to take his game to another level.
Kerr specifically cited the adjustments made at halftime, with Kuminga playing more in the flow of the offense in the third quarter when the Warriors were able to open up a 17-point lead at one point.
Kuminga and Kerr haven’t often felt like they were on the same page over the past four seasons.
The Ringer’s Logan Murdock reported in May that Kerr was “incensed” during a late-season game against the Portland Trail Blazers “after several instances in which Kuminga looked off Curry to create his own offense.”
Kuminga didn’t play in Golden State’s next three games, including the play-in tournament win over the Memphis Grizzlies and Game 1 of the first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets.
During Kuminga’s restricted free agency over the summer, negotiations seemed tense between the two sides to the point his agent, Aaron Turner, publicly spoke out about what they were seeking.
Turner appeared on The Hoop Collective podcast (h/t ESPN’s Anthony Slater) in September expressed a strong desire for the Warriors to include a player option in their contract offer:
“If [the Warriors] want to win now, if you want a guy that’s happy and treated fairly who is a big part of this team, we believe, moving forward, you give him the player option. You do lose a little of that trade value [giving that up]. But if it’s about the here and now, you give him that. You don’t get a perfect deal, but you get a pretty good deal and he gets to feel respected about what he gets and we all move on and worry about winning, helping Steph [Curry].”
Kuminga ultimately signed a two-year, $48.5 million contract with a team option for the second season. Almost as soon as the ink dried on the deal, there were reports that the Warriors would look to trade the 23-year-old as soon as he becomes eligible to be dealt.
Kerr told reporters after the deal was done that the next step in Kuminga’s development was everyone focusing on “getting better” because “that’s been the thing that’s held him back—what we need verse what he wants to do.”
Tuesday’s game was a positive step for Kuminga. Even when he missed five of his six shots in the first half, he had five assists and five rebounds. He was a driving force for their offense in the crucial third quarter that made the difference in the game.
Just as notable, perhaps, as Kuminga’s impact on the game was that Kerr felt confident enough to put him in the starting lineup. It was his first regular-season start since Dec. 15, 2024.
