The Golden State Warriors beat the Memphis Grizzlies in the play-in tournament to secure their spot in the playoffs, but heading into their first-round series against the Houston Rockets, they are going through some lineup uncertainty.
In the final game of the regular season and their play-in win, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr decided not to play forward Jonathan Kuminga, despite the 22-year-old standout being healthy.
Kuminga missed 31 consecutive games during the season with an ankle sprain, but has underperformed severely since coming back. Kuminga averaged 12.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.3 assists with 44.1/17.1/74.2 shooting splits in 15 games since returning to action.
Ahead of their series against the Rockets, Kerr explained his decision to sit Kuminga in the last two games.
“I have to read what we need,” Kerr said. “I have to read who’s playing well together, and to be very frank, the Jimmy (Butler), JK (Kuminga) combination has not been great, and that’s the tricky part here. And I’m playing Jimmy 40 minutes a night because Jimmy is one of the very best players in the league.
“And there’s a reason we’re here and we’re in the seventh seed… And the reason is Jimmy, and so my job as a coach is to keep the team on a path that I think gives us the best chance to win. And for now, that’s why I’ve been leaning into the lineups that I have.”
The Warriors could certainly use Kuminga’s versatility against a tough Rockets team for a long seven-game series, but the 22-year-old forward simply needs to play better when he is on the floor.