<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/warriors-news-jonathan-kuminga-claim-2024-25');   ga('set', 'title', 'Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga claims many players would ‘quit’ if they were in his shoes');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Steve-Kerr-reveals-why-he-benched-Jonathan-Kuminga.jpg"></figure><h1>Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga claims many players would ‘quit’ if they were in his shoes</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-24T08:29:58-08:00">December 24th, 8:29am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-24T08:29:58-08:00">December 24th, 8:29am</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Golden State Warriors</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Jonathan Kuminga features a high-ceiling, but he has dealt with an inconsistent role with the Golden State Warriors. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-jonathan-kuminga-shares-intriguing-post-amid-trade-rumors-sparks-buzz">Kuminga trade rumors have swirled</a> as well. Kuminga <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/43137372/warriors-jonathan-kuminga-responds-steve-kerr-criticism-best-game-season-loss-pacers" rel="noopener">recently got brutally honest on his role uncertainty</a> with the Warriors, via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.</p><p>“Sometimes I start, sometimes I don’t start. Don’t really affect me… I’m used to it,” Kuminga said. “From where I come from, you always got to be mentally tough. A lot of people that are playing … if they were in my shoes, they’ll quit basketball. They’ll need a therapist. They’ll go through a lot of mental situations. But that thing don’t affect me. As long as I go out here every day and just play, be with my teammates, [they] keep encouraging me to be who I am every day.”</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-biggest-disappointment-early-in-2024-25-season">Kuminga has endured some ups and downs in the 2024-25 season</a> up to this point. He has yet to truly emerge as the star that many people around the NBA world believe he can become. Kuminga is still only 22 years old, however, so there is plenty of time for Kuminga to continue to improve as an NBA player with the Warriors.</p><p>He is in his fourth NBA season, though. Kuminga is averaging 25.4 minutes per outing. He has played 26 total games, starting 10 contests overall. Kuminga is making an impact while on the floor, recording per game averages of 15.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per outing.</p><p>One has to imagine that the Warriors forward would benefit from a more consistent starting role, though. Perhaps that will come to fruition at some point down the road with Golden State. There is also a chance that Jonathan Kuminga may need a fresh start with a new team.</p><p>It remains to be seen what Kuminga’s NBA future holds, but he features enough potential to become a star in the league.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga claims many players would ‘quit’ if they were in his shoes

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/warriors-news-steve-kerr-stephen-curry-react-jonathan-kumingas-big-game-drama');   ga('set', 'title', 'Warriors’ Steve Kerr, Stephen Curry react to Jonathan Kuminga’s big game amid drama');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Warriors-news-Stephen-Curry-Jonathan-Kuminga-get-injury-updates-for-Thunder-game.jpg"></figure><h1>Warriors’ Steve Kerr, Stephen Curry react to Jonathan Kuminga’s big game amid drama</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-24T08:11:27-08:00">December 24th, 8:11am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-24T08:11:27-08:00">December 24th, 8:11am</time><address><a>Rexwell Villas</a>Rexwell Villas is an experienced sports writer covering a variety of sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and college football. He's a Communications Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, and he claims to have JR Smith's conscience with his shot selection. He has won a basketball, a baseball, and a football championship in fantasy all within a year.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Golden State Warriors</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ranking-best-jonathan-kuminga-trade-destinations-warriors-let-go">Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga has become a fixture in NBA trade rumors</a>, which got a little bit more intense after he <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-jonathan-kuminga-shares-intriguing-post-amid-trade-rumors-sparks-buzz">uploaded an intriguing social media post over the weekend</a>.</p><p>However, those rumors did not get additional fuel following the Warriors’ 111-105 loss to the Indiana Pacers at Chase Center in San Francisco on Monday night, with Golden State head coach Steve Kerr and Stephen Curry giving Kuminga his flowers <a href="https://x.com/957thegame/status/1871434247980130639" rel="noopener">for his performance against the visitors</a>.</p><p>“Yeah, this is the JK [Jonathan Kuminga] we want,” Kerr said of Kuminga during the postgame press conference (via 95.7 The Game). “Spent a lot of time in the paint, took care of the ball. He had a couple of really nice passes. Found Buddy [Hield] early in the game for a three on a beautiful play.</p><p>Kerr also stressed that how Kuminga performed against the Pacers was how he wanted the 22-year-old player to play.</p><p>“So this is a great example of how JK needs to play,” Kerr continued. “I’m really proud of him for coming out and playing that way. And he’s getting better. And it’s fun to watch his development.”</p><p>Curry echoed Kerr’s sentiments about Kuminga, as the two-time Most Valuable Player gave an honest breakdown of the <a href="https://x.com/957thegame/status/1871443314110787808" rel="noopener">good things he’s seeing from the third-year NBA pro of late</a>.</p><p>“I mean, he was probably the best player out there in the sense of attacking. Being decisive, I think I talked about it after the game the other night,” Curry said.</p><p>“Anytime you’re decisive and aggressive, you live with mistakes. But playing in the flow of the offense, taking what the defense gives you. So I’m getting to the pain, getting a couple extra possessions for us. He knocked down his open threes. He’s getting downhill, put pressure on the rim, doing things that only he can do really on our team. So we love energetic, confident JK. He can change the game for us like he did. And stringing a couple of those games together will, hopefully, rise our level of play and give us a chance to win any given night.”</p><h2><b>Jonathan Kuminga’s future with the Warriors still uncertain </b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Jonathan-Kuminga.jpg"><figcaption>John Hefti-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Against the Pacers, Kuminga led all scorers in the game with 26 points off the bench. He made nine of his 16 attempts from the field, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out four assists to go with a block in 30 minutes of action.</p><p>Based on Kerr’s and Curry’s postgame comments on Kuminga, it seems clear that the Warriors value the youngster. Still, the Warriors could trade him before the deadline, with Kuminga set to become a restricted free agent next summer.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Warriors’ Steve Kerr, Stephen Curry react to Jonathan Kuminga’s big game amid drama

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/warriors-news-jonathan-kuminga-shares-intriguing-post-amid-trade-rumors-sparks-buzz');   ga('set', 'title', 'Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga shares intriguing post amid trade rumors');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Warriors-news-Jonathan-Kuminga-s-cryptic-post-sparks-buzz.jpg"></figure><h1>Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga shares intriguing post amid trade rumors</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-22T21:30:49-08:00">December 22nd, 9:30pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-23T13:23:20-08:00">December 23rd, 1:23pm</time><address><a>Rexwell Villas</a>Rexwell Villas is an experienced sports writer covering a variety of sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and college football. He's a Communications Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, and he claims to have JR Smith's conscience with his shot selection. He has won a basketball, a baseball, and a football championship in fantasy all within a year.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Golden State Warriors</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ranking-best-jonathan-kuminga-trade-destinations-warriors-let-go">Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga has been an NBA trade rumor favorite</a> for some time now. His name has often been linked to speculations about a potential transaction that would get him out of the Bay Area. So far, however, Kuminga remains a Warrior.</p><p>Still, many eyes are on Kuminga’s situation, with fans closely monitoring his moves on and off the court. Take for example his social media post on Sunday night on Instagram in which he shared a photo slide that he captioned with peace sign emojis.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DD5nicSywhS/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading"><div style="padding: 16px;"><p> </p><div style="display: flex;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div><div style="display: flex;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div><div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"><div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div><div style="display: flex; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div><div></div><div></div><div></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div><div></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"><div></div><div></div><div></div></div></div><div style="display: flex; margin-bottom: 24px;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div><p> </p><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DD5nicSywhS/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" rel="noopener" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by ️️️️JK 🇨🇩 (@jonathan_kuminga)</a></p></div></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Warriors’ Jonathan Kumiga grabs attention with social media post</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Jonathan-Kuminga.jpg"><figcaption>John Hefti-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Kuminga’s post could be nothing more than a simple “flex” on social media but in any case, fans can’t seem to stop reacting to it.</p><p>“What does that caption mean,” an Instagram user said.</p><p>“You broke the net bro, ” said another fan, who was referring to the Kuminga causing the start of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-vs-timberwolves-prediction-odds-pick-12-21-2024">the Warriors meeting with the Minnesota Timberwolves</a> at Target Center in Minneapolis <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/jonathan-kuminga-trade-rumors-fueled-by-warriors-coach-steve-kerrs-not-so-subtle-comments-about-selfish-play/" rel="noopener">to be delayed</a>.</p><p>Another fan, meanwhile, seems to be already embracing the idea of Kuminga’s Golden State departure: “JK I WILL MISS YOU, YOU WILL BE A STAR ELSE WHERE.”</p><p>“Get ready to learn Miami,” chimed in another commenter.</p><p>“I hope the dubs resign you,” shared another Instagram user.</p><p>A different comment read: “I know kerr is unfair to you, but we will always support you, the future young master of the Warriors. The mid-range accuracy must be improved and the shots must be made bravely.”</p><p>The 22-year-old Kuminga has no guaranteed contract beyond the 2024-25 NBA season, which he is playing on a one-year, $7.64 million team option that the Warriors picked up in October.</p><p>It remains to be seen how exactly the Warriors will deal with Kuminga, who is on track to become a restricted free agent next summer barring an extension.</p><p>So far in the 2024-25 NBA campaign, Kuminga, who was taken in the first round (seventh overall) of the NBA draft by the Warriors, is putting up 15.1 points on 43.6 percent shooting from the field, 4.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga shares intriguing post amid trade rumors

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/ranking-best-jonathan-kuminga-trade-destinations-warriors-let-go');   ga('set', 'title', 'Ranking best Jonathan Kuminga trade destinations if Warriors finally let go');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Ranking-best-Jonathan-Kuminga-trade-destinations-if-Warriors-finally-let-go.jpg"></figure><h1>Ranking best Jonathan Kuminga trade destinations if Warriors finally let go</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-18T06:48:20-08:00">December 18th, 6:48am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-18T06:48:20-08:00">December 18th, 6:48am</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/spencersee10" rel="facebook">Spencer See</a>Spencer See is a part-time writer at ClutchPoints focusing on the NBA, evergreen content and celebrity lifestyle. He is also a lifelong fan of LeBron James. In his free time, he either goes fishing or watches basketball.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>For quite some time, Jonathan Kuminga has been a fixture in trade rumors. With the Warriors <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-trade-deadline-warriors-send-james-wiseman-pistons-3-team-trade-hawks">giving up several of their young guns including James Wiseman</a> and Jordan Poole, there’s a strong possibility that Kuminga is next.</p><p>The seventh overall pick of the 2021 NBA Draft endured a slow development. However, the NBA champion is already showing positive signs, following up a stellar 2023-2024 season. Kuminga <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/k/kuminjo01.html" rel="noopener">is averaging</a> 15.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per outing while shooting 44.4% from the field overall and 31.0% from beyond the arc.</p><p>While Kuminga has made an impact, the Warriors are also in a dilemma whether to win-now with their aging core or to stick with their youngsters. The Warriors are currently 14-10, which is good for the fifth seed in the West. Unfortunately, nearly every basketball fan will agree that the Warriors could use a third star to boost their championship ceiling.</p><p>It’s safe to say that Kuminga is one of the Warriors’ best trade assets. So, let’s rank the best Jonathan Kuminga trade destinations if the Warriors finally let him go.</p><h2><b>Miami Heat</b></h2><p>The Miami Heat are looking more like a team that’s preparing for life after Jimmy Butler as the season progresses. With the Heat possibly hitting the rebuild button, there’s no doubt that Jonathan Kuminga would easily thrive under the Heat Culture.</p><p>The franchise has already established a reputation for developing solid talent. This is something that a young big man like Kuminga can benefit from. Moreover, the former first-round draft pick should have no problems getting some help. With Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro already in tow, adding another building block like the 6-foot-7 power forward should ease Butler’s impending exit.</p><p>In order for Kuminga to arrive in South Beach, they will probably surrender six-time NBA All-Star Butler to the Bay Area, as part of a blockbuster deal. For the Warriors, adding Butler to their roster should help them land the third star they’ve been waiting for, in order to maximize Curry’s closing window. The move also gives Butler a solid chance to finally capture an elusive NBA title.</p><h2><b>Los Angeles Lakers</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Jonathan-Kuminga-1.jpg"><figcaption>Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Aside from the chatter about Butler landing in Golden State, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-perfect-lebron-james-trade-offer-to-lakers-if-he-shockingly-demands-out">LeBron James has also been on the Warriors’ radar</a> for quite some time. In fact, things could materialize by this season’s trade deadline. While the Warriors have been dreaming about a James-Curry pairing, similar to what happened at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the move should also benefit an up-and-coming Kuminga.</p><p>By playing for the Lakers, Kuminga gets a chance to play alongside one of the best big men in the NBA in the form of Anthony Davis. A Davis-Kuminga pairing should ultimately boost the Lakers frontcourt from the get-go, as both players can make an impact on both ends of the floor. In addition to this, the addition of Kuminga to the Purple and Gold allows the franchise to cushion the blow as they prepare for life after The King.</p><p>For Kuminga to join the Lakers, the Warriors will have to include him along with a haul of youngsters to entice the Lakers to give up their megastar. In a Lakers uniform, it’s a safe bet that Kuminga will have more opportunities to unleash his true potential. The move should give a fresh start to the Lakers organization and the promising forward who’s been waiting to break out.</p><h2><b>New Orleans Pelicans</b></h2><p>Imagine a trio of Zion Williamson, Yves Missi, and Jonathan Kuminga. The Pelicans will certainly have no shortage of size, possibly tormenting their opponents in multiple ways. The Pelicans have always been a dark horse, waiting to break out. Having Kuminga in the team should finally elevate the squad into a more consistent threat in the Western Conference.</p><p>Given that the Pelicans are still a young team, Kuminga should easily align with the team’s timeline. Moreover, he should also be able to fit better under Willie Green’s system. Nonetheless, size is a huge factor in winning basketball games. As a result, throwing Kuminga into the mix with a roster that already has Williamson and Missi should be an intimidating frontcourt.</p><p>The Pelicans’ best asset to acquire Kuminga will be All-Star Brandon Ingram. Ingram should fill the holes for the Warriors at the forward position. Moreover, he’s also a top-caliber forward who should theoretically fit well in Kerr’s system. In fact, it’s worth noting that Ingram has been linked to the Warriors as early as the offseason. Now that the Warriors can give a better assessment of their young guns, it won’t be surprising if they pull the trigger to acquire Ingram at the deadline.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Ranking best Jonathan Kuminga trade destinations if Warriors finally let go

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/warriors-news-stephen-curry-draymond-green-challenge-jonathan-kuminga-lineup');   ga('set', 'title', 'Warriors’ Stephen Curry, Draymond Green issue challenge for Jonathan Kuminga');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Warriors-news-Stephen-Curry-Draymond-Green-issue-major-challenge-for-Jonathan-Kuminga-amid-lineup-change.jpg"></figure><h1>Warriors’ Stephen Curry, Draymond Green issue challenge for Jonathan Kuminga</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-07T07:18:43-08:00">December 7th, 7:18am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-07T07:18:43-08:00">December 7th, 7:18am</time><address><a>Preston Byers</a>Preston Byers is an experienced writer and journalist who currently serves as an associate editor for ClutchPoints and as a staff writer at The Vindicator and Tribune Chronicle, where he covers sports in the Mahoning Valley. Previously, Preston worked as an associate editor for Dot Esports and a site expert for FanSided's Union and Blue.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Golden State Warriors</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After a hot start to the season, the Golden State Warriors are looking for a spark to get them back on the right track. And while Stephen Curry playing up to his potential will go a long way, the Warriors have made a drastic change by <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-draymond-green-reacts-getting-benched-jonathan-kuminga">moving Draymond Green to the bench</a> in favor of Jonathan Kuminga.</p><p>Last season, Kuminga reportedly became upset at Warriors coach Steve Kerr for inconsistent minutes. This year, Kuminga’s minutes have also been up and down, but that may no longer be the case moving forward. The fourth-year player, who started the first three games of the season, is back in the starting lineup for the foreseeable future.</p><p>While Kuminga started alongside Curry, Green, Trayce Jackson-Davis, and Andrew Wiggins to open the season, Kuminga’s return to starter status has come at the expense of former Defensive Player of the Year Green, who <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-steve-kerr-reveals-draymond-green-plan-after-bench-move-vs-timberwolves">came off of the bench</a> last night vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves for just the sixth time in the last decade. Green had missed the two previous games due to injury, and upon return, he was replaced by Kuminga, who started with Curry, Wiggins, Brandin Podziemski, and Kevon Looney.</p><h2><b>Draymond Green, Stephen Curry talk Jonathan Kuminga becoming Warriors starter</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Warriors-Draymond-Green-and-Jonathan-Kuminga-celebrate.jpg"><figcaption>Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Both Kuminga and Green received considerable minutes in the 107-90 loss and likely continue to do so, but Green said after the defeat that Kuminga deserved to be elevated.</p><p>“I’ve been one of JK’s biggest fans since he’s been here,” Green said, “and so if he has an opportunity to start, you can’t be hypocritical… I am a product of my vet being willing to take a backseat for me, so gotta give back what came to you.</p><p>“…A lot of people in this organization, including myself, think he is next. So if he is next, at some point we gotta see it. And for him to do that, he needs the opportunity. Like I said, if the opportunity falls on you, meaning me, then that’s what it is. You gotta figure it out. He’s earned the right to get that opportunity.”</p><p>Curry, who has played with Green since the latter was drafted by the Warriors in 2012, said after Friday’s loss that Kuminga’s growth, in particular, will be a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-jonathan-kuminga-draws-clutch-weapon-take-after-heroics">big key to the Warriors’ success</a>.</p><p>“For us to be good, you saw flashes against Houston, we need him to be his best version,” Curry said, via ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk.</p><p>During the first 15 games of the season, Kuminga averaged 13.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in 22.7 minutes per game. Over the last five games, following a two-game absence due to illness, Kuminga’s playing time has shot up to nearly 28 minutes per game. He has averaged 19.2 points and 4.0 rebounds in that timeframe</p><p>Despite Kuminga’s expanded role, the Warriors are struggling mightily. After starting the season with a 12-3 record, Golden State is 1-6 in its last seven. Once the top team in the Western Conference, the Warriors are now tied for fifth place and just 1.5 games ahead of 11th.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Warriors’ Stephen Curry, Draymond Green issue challenge for Jonathan Kuminga

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/warriors-news-draymond-green-reacts-getting-benched-jonathan-kuminga');   ga('set', 'title', 'Warriors’ Draymond Green reacts to getting benched for Jonathan Kuminga');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/0Draymond-Greens-honest-reaction-to-getting-benched-for-Jonathan-Kuminga0.jpg"><figcaption>12/7/24</figcaption></figure><h1>Warriors’ Draymond Green reacts to getting benched for Jonathan Kuminga</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-07T06:56:57-08:00">December 7th, 6:56am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-07T07:47:25-08:00">December 7th, 7:47am</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Golden State Warriors</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Golden State Warriors entered Friday night’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves losers of five of their last six games. Head coach <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-make-shocking-draymond-green-jonathan-kuminga-change">Steve Kerr started Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga over Draymond Green</a>, shaking up his starting lineup in hopes of giving his team an edge. Ultimately, the Timberwolves defeated Golden State in a blowout, 107-90.</p><p>After the game, Green <a href="https://twitter.com/957thegame/status/1865288214921240753/" rel="noopener">reacted</a> honestly to getting benched for Kuminga, per 95.7 The Game.</p><p>“Of course, I’m okay with it,” Green said. “I have been one of JK’s biggest fans since he’s been here… I am a product of my vet willing to take a backseat for me. So you gotta give back what came to you.”</p><p>Green says Kerr approached him about the decision beforehand, which the four-time champion forward obliged. He’s willing to do whatever it takes for his team to succeed.</p><p>“I’m a fan of his. I want to see him do well,” Green said. “So, if his opportunity goes through me, then it is what it is. That’s his opportunity, and he earned that opportunity. That’s kind of how I view it. So, that was kind of my rationale. He played extremely well last night. You want to give that another look? Or two, or three, or four, or however long. If it works, then continue with it.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">“Of course I’m okay with it. I have been one of JK’s biggest fans since he’s been here… I am a product of my vet willing to take a backseat for me. So you gotta give back what came to you.”</p><p>Draymond on his move to the bench <a href="https://t.co/RlDVZqW6tH">pic.twitter.com/RlDVZqW6tH</a></p><p>— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) <a href="https://twitter.com/957thegame/status/1865288214921240753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p> </p><p>Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 23 points and four assists. Kuminga scored 13 points, Andrew Wiggins added 11, and Green led the bench with 10 points, nine rebounds, six assists, two steals, and one block. Anthony Edwards’ 30 points and nine assists led an entire Timberwolves starting lineup that scored in double figures.</p><p>Rudy Gobert (17 points, 11 rebounds) notched a double-double, Julius Randle added 16 points and nine rebounds, and Mike Conley finished with 13 points and three steals. The Timberwolves kept the Warriors at bay in the final frame, outscoring their opponent 29-18 to secure the victory.</p><h2><b>Steve Kerr reveals Warriors’ Draymond Green plan after benching</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Draymond-Greens-honest-reaction-to-getting-benched-for-Jonathan-Kuminga.jpg"><figcaption>Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>After Warriors head coach Steve Kerr benched Draymond Green ahead of Friday’s matchup against the Timberwolves, many wondered if it was the beginning of a permanent decision or a one-off.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-steve-kerr-reveals-draymond-green-plan-after-bench-move-vs-timberwolves">Kerr revealed his long-term plans for Green</a> and Jonathan Kuminga regarding his starting lineup. Kerr <a href="https://x.com/957thegame/status/1865274761351434583" rel="noopener">says</a> he’s willing to give it another try, per 95.7 The Game.</p><p>“I wanna look at it. We’re trying to maximize Jonathan,” Kerr said. “Playing him with Wiggs. Playing Loon to start with that group means that Draymond doesn’t have to guard the opposing center right from the get-go, which I think is important. We can close with Draymond at the five. In theory, I like what it looks like.”</p><p>The Warriors will run it back against the same Timberwolves team on Sunday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Warriors’ Draymond Green reacts to getting benched for Jonathan Kuminga

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/warriors-make-shocking-draymond-green-jonathan-kuminga-change');   ga('set', 'title', 'Warriors make shocking Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga change');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Warriors-news-Dubs-make-shocking-Draymond-Green-Jonathan-Kuminga-change.jpg"></figure><h1>Warriors make shocking Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga change</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-06T18:24:03-08:00">December 6th, 6:24pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-06T19:14:27-08:00">December 6th, 7:14pm</time><address><a>David Yapkowitz</a>David Yapkowitz is an NBA Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is a credentialed reporter based in Los Angeles who covers the NBA/WNBA, NCAA/NCAAW and boys/girls high school basketball.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Golden State Warriors</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Golden State Warriors have decided to make a lineup change ahead of their matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday. With <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-are-stephen-curry-draymond-green-playing-vs-timberwolves">Draymond Green set to make his return</a> to the court after missing the previous two games, he will <a href="https://x.com/anthonyVslater/status/1865218502443045088" rel="noopener">come off the bench</a> with Jonathan Kuminga in the starting lineup, as per Anthony Slater of The Athletic.</p><p>Jonathan Kuminga was in the starting lineup in place of Draymond Green who had been dealing with a calf injury. He went off for a career-high 33 points in the Warriors most recent win against the Houston Rockets. He also added six rebounds, two assists and one blocked shot while shooting 13-of-22 from the field and 3-of-6 from the three-point line.</p><p>Warriors fans have been clamoring for Kuminga to get more playing time since he was drafted to the team. The No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Kuminga was part of the inaugural group of players for the G League Ignite. During the past two games that Green has been out, the fourth-year forward has gotten his chance to shine.</p><p>As per Slater, the Warriors will ease Green’s return to the lineup with him coming off the bench. For the majority of his career, Green has been a staple in the Warriors starting lineup. There is a bit of a precedent to this though. Last season when <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-joe-dumars-draymond-green-suspension-timeline">Green returned after serving a suspension</a>, he came off the bench for three games before moving back into the starting lineup.</p><h2><b>Jonathan Kuminga’s future with Warriors</b></h2><p>Back in October, the Warriors and Kuminga were unable to reach a contract extension. It doesn’t necessarily mean than Kuminga won’t be back with the Warriors as he’s set to hit unrestricted free agency in the offseason. If he continues to play like this, however, he will certainly see interest across the league in free agency.</p><p>Kuminga has already been a coveted player from opposing teams, but the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-why-warriors-didnt-include-jonathan-kuminga-paul-george-trade-talks">Warriors were reportedly unwilling to include Kuminga in trade </a>conversations this past offseason.</p><p>He’s appeared in 19 games for the Warriors so far this season, including six starts, at a little over 23 minutes per game. He’s been averaging 14.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steals with splits of 45.1 percent shooting from the field, 31.4 percent shooting from the three-point line and 59.7 percent shooting from the free-throw line.</p><p>Whether or not Kuminga remains in the starting lineup as a permanent change for the Warriors remains to be seen. But he has definitely taken advantage of his increased opportunity this season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Warriors make shocking Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga change

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/warriors-jonathan-kuminga-draws-clutch-weapon-take-after-heroics');   ga('set', 'title', 'Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga draws clutch ‘weapon’ take after heroics');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Warriors-news-Jonathan-Kuminga-draws-clutch-weapon-take-after-heroics.jpg"></figure><h1>Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga draws clutch ‘weapon’ take after heroics</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-06T09:36:52-08:00">December 6th, 9:36am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-06T09:36:52-08:00">December 6th, 9:36am</time><address><a>Dylan Fine</a>Dylan Fine focuses on the NFL and NCAA Football for ClutchPoints, in addition to working on the meme team. Dylan is a graduate of Georgetown University and has covered various topics ranging from local politics in the DMV region with DC Voter For Animals to live sporting events in the Long Island and Rochester areas with The Southampton Press and Pickin’Splinters. When he isn't working, he's usually running in preparation for the next annual Turkey Trot.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Golden State Warriors</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr gave an eye-opening take on forward Jonathan Kuminga. Despite not having <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-stephen-curry-draymond-green-ruled-out-early-for-rockets-clash" rel="noopener">Stephen Curry or Draymond Green on Thursday</a>, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-warriors-win-15th-straight-against-rockets">Warriors pulled off a stunning victory over the Houston Rockets</a>. Kuminga led the charge, scoring 33 points on an efficient 13 of 22 from the field. The standout performance included a 14-point fourth quarter from the Warriors star, which is surprising, considering that he has rarely been a primary option at the end of games.</p><p>As of today, Kuminga is fifth on the Golden State in fourth-quarter scoring at 2.8 points per game. On Thursday night, the Warriors consistently found success putting the forward in pick-and-roll actions. Steve Kerr suggested that this strategy could be implemented more in the future at the end of games.</p><p>In a postgame interview with Warriors reporter Anthony Slater for The Athletic, Kerr <a href="https://x.com/anthonyVslater/status/1864911358527181087" rel="noopener">responded to a question</a> on Kuminga’s involvement in more pick-and-rolls and inclusion in end-of-game lineups.</p><p>“It could absolutely be a weapon. I think the biggest thing with our team right now is we can see that we have chemistry. We just have to find the combinations that we can count on and hopefully get to night after night. That’s the only way to really develop chemistry and continuity while trying to close games. I think the floor has been slightly opened up the last couple of nights for JK (Kuminga). The question is, can we get him out there more with Draymond and Loon and as a four? That’s the key.”</p><h2><b>Jonathan Kuminga is still finding his role with Golden State</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Warriors-Jonathan-Kuminga-and-Warriors-Buddy-Hield.jpg"><figcaption>John Hefti-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Jonathan Kuminga has had an up-and-down start to his fourth year in the Bay Area. The former seventh-overall pick has been mainly coming off the bench for Steve Kerr’s team, with a slight decrease in his minutes.</p><p>Kuminga is averaging 14.8/4.3/1.8 on his lowest efficiency from the field. These totals come after a career year for the Warriors young star, where he showed his potential to develop into a future all-star. Despite the disappointing start, Kuminga is starting to find his footing, albeit with <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-draymond-green-undergo-mri-amid-troubling-injury">Draymond Green out of the lineup with a calf injury</a>.</p><p>Ultimately, Steve Kerr hinted that Golden State needs to find a consistent end-of-the-game rotation. So far, the Warriors are 6-7 in matchups that have required clutch time, showcasing that this is one of the major dilemmas this franchise is facing. Unfortunately, having Kuminga, Draymond, and a center severely limits the Warriors from a spacing standpoint. Steve Kerr knows this which explains why Kuminga, Green, and Kevon Looney have <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/lineups/advanced?slug=advanced&amp;GroupQuantity=3&amp;TeamID=1610612744" rel="noopener">only been on the floor together for one minute</a> this season.</p><p>Golden State’s head coach, therefore, has a few options. Play Kuminga over Green at the end of games at power forward, start Draymond at the center with Jonathan, or bench Kuminga at the end of games. This question could dictate the franchise’s near and distant future. The Warriors young star needs to be seen as a viable option down the stretch. If not, Golden State could probably get more out of him in a trade.</p><p>Overall, with the amount of depth the Warriors have on their roster, trades will need to be made soon. Thursday night was just another reflection of how Golden State has the potential to get the best out of Kuminga. Nevertheless, if that potential doesn’t become the norm, it might be best to move on.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga draws clutch ‘weapon’ take after heroics

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/warriors-news-jonathan-kuminga-gets-stephen-curry-hyped-amid-career-high-vs-rockets');   ga('set', 'title', 'Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga gets Stephen Curry hyped amid career-high vs. Rockets');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Warriors-news-Jonathan-Kuminga-gets-Stephen-Curry-Draymond-Green-hyped-amid-career-high-vs.jpg"></figure><h1>Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga gets Stephen Curry hyped amid career-high vs. Rockets</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-05T22:47:17-08:00">December 5th, 10:47pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-05T22:47:17-08:00">December 5th, 10:47pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Golden State Warriors</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Golden State Warriors entered their Thursday night matchup against the Houston Rockets in need of an ambulance… but not for them. Despite missing Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, who are dealing with knee and calf injuries, respectively, the Warriors managed to snap their five-game losing skid by <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rockets-news-ime-udoka-rips-soft-houston-after-15th-straight-loss-vs-warriors">defeating their longtime nemesis</a>, 99-93, behind Jonathan Kuminga’s career night.</p><p>Kuminga has faded into the background for the Warriors to begin the 2024-25 campaign, but on Thursday night, he took center stage with the team missing its number one option. He poured in 33 points on 13-22 shooting from the field, and he made perhaps the biggest shot of the night for the Warriors. Leading by just three, 113-110, with around 20 seconds remaining in the ballgame, Kuminga took the ball all the way to the basket and scored a tough layup over the contest of both Dillon Brooks and Fred VanVleet.</p><p>This was the highlight moment for Kuminga that got both Curry and Green <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1864904695946580478" rel="noopener">hyped up on the sidelines</a> as the Warriors returned to winning ways behind the stellar play of the 22-year-old forward.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Steph Curry and Draymond Green were HYPED after Jonathan Kuminga scored to put the Warriors up 5 with 16 seconds remaining 🔥</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/warriors?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@warriors</a>)<a href="https://t.co/l3bpHCytmZ">pic.twitter.com/l3bpHCytmZ</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1864904695946580478?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Kuminga clearly had the Warriors bench hyped up, with Curry taking the role of lead cheerleader as he continues to deal with a bilateral knee injury. Even after the ballgame, the Warriors’ star man gave Kuminga his much-deserved flowers, <a href="https://twitter.com/StephenCurry30/status/1864910107399852476" rel="noopener">posting a hype message</a> on his official account on X, formerly known as Twitter.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Take over then 🙌🏽 <a href="https://t.co/2DSyE1S45r">https://t.co/2DSyE1S45r</a></p><p>— Stephen Curry (@StephenCurry30) <a href="https://twitter.com/StephenCurry30/status/1864910107399852476?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Kuminga, indeed, did take over for the Warriors and flourished as the first option on a night where the team needed him to pop off. What the 22-year-old has to do from now on, however, is to figure out how to carry over this level of play even when Curry and Green return.</p><h2><b>Jonathan Kuminga was the star of the Warriors’ show in major slump-busting win</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Warriors-forward-Jonathan-Kuminga-00-drives.jpg"><figcaption>© John Hefti-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Jonathan Kuminga was truly a force to be reckoned with on Thursday night; from the get-go, Kuminga left his imprint on the game, impressively scoring from all three levels while displaying a confidence that hasn’t been seen as much from him this season. He was efficient from the field and was aggressive in getting to the basket, and the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-draymond-green-honest-on-jonathan-kuminga-return-to-starting-lineup">Warriors will want to see more of this</a> from him moving forward.</p><p>But Kuminga could not have done it by his lonesome. Andrew Wiggins pitched in with 23 points of his own, while the Warriors’ defense came to play, holding the Rockets to just 37.6 percent shooting on the night.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga gets Stephen Curry hyped amid career-high vs. Rockets

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/warriors-news-draymond-green-honest-on-jonathan-kuminga-return-to-starting-lineup');   ga('set', 'title', 'Draymond Green gets brutally honest on Jonathan Kuminga’s return to starting lineup');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Warriors-news-Draymond-Green-gets-brutally-honest-on-Jonathan-Kumingas-return-to-starting-lineup.jpg"><figcaption>ClutchPoints</figcaption></figure><h1>Draymond Green gets brutally honest on Jonathan Kuminga’s return to starting lineup</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-28T11:55:24-08:00">November 28th, 11:55am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-28T15:18:39-08:00">November 28th, 3:18pm</time><address><a>Julian Ojeda</a>Julian Ojeda is an Orlando-based sports journalist with 3 years of professional writing under his belt, specializing in both NBA and NFL coverage. A devoted Orlando Magic fan, he deftly balances fervent fandom with insightful reporting, possessing a keen eye for compelling narratives.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Golden State Warriors</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-steve-kerr-gut-tells-lineup-stephen-curry-returns">Golden State Warriors dropped their third-straight game</a> in a 105-101 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday, bringing their season record to 12-6. Playing without Stephen Curry and De’Anthony Melton, the Warriors turned to Jonathan Kuminga in the starting lineup, yielding a mixed performance from the young forward.</p><p>Kuminga tallied 19 points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals while shooting 38% from the field and 30% from three-point range. Draymond Green, who finished the night with 10 points, 14 rebounds, six assists, two blocks, and one steal, <a href="https://x.com/anthonyVslater/status/1862019570686726413" rel="noopener">addressed</a> Kuminga’s fit in the lineup and his aggressive stretches during the game.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Draymond Green on Jonathan Kuminga: “His first stint he wasn’t good because he wasn’t aggressive. He came back in the second quarter and went for broke.” <a href="https://t.co/CyHWfZz6Es">pic.twitter.com/CyHWfZz6Es</a></p><p>— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) <a href="https://twitter.com/anthonyVslater/status/1862019570686726413?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 28, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“I’ve never been that guy that won’t do what the team needs,” Green said when asked about his own role shifting to center to accommodate Kuminga. “I pride myself on being whatever the team needs me to be, and so I don’t necessarily think it was a matter of him just being at the four. I thought it was a matter of him being aggressive.”</p><h2><b>Draymond Green stresses Jonathan Kuminga’s need for consistent aggression</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Jonathan-Kuminga-00-drives-to-the-basket-against-the-Oklahoma-City-Thunder.jpg"><figcaption>© John Hefti-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Green pointed out the disparity between Kuminga’s first and second stints in the game, particularly in terms of assertiveness.</p><p>“He was at the four his first stint; he wasn’t good because he wasn’t aggressive,” Green said. “He came back in the game in the second quarter and went for broke. When you go for broke with that level of talent, that level of skill, usually it works in your favor.”</p><p>The Warriors veteran emphasized the importance of Kuminga adopting a consistent aggressive mindset, stating that the team can adjust around his play when he fully leans into his potential.</p><p>“I don’t care what position he’s at; we need him being aggressive at all times, and we’ll all fit in around that,” Green added. “That pressure he started putting on during that run, we need that all night. Everybody else will figure it out.”</p><p>Green also highlighted the rare opportunity Kuminga has within the Warriors’ system, urging him to take pride in the trust the organization has placed in him.</p><p>“He has that level of talent that you better just go figure it out on what he does,” Green said. “He should wear that badge with honor because not many people get that opportunity in this league, and they’ve set it up for him to do that.”</p><h2><b>Warriors navigate injuries to Stephen Curry, De’Anthony Melton ahead of pivotal road trip</b></h2><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-stephen-curry-jonathan-kuminga-injury-updates-thunder-game">Curry missed the game with soreness in both knees</a>, an issue that kept him out despite being initially listed as questionable. Melton, meanwhile, is recovering from a season-ending ACL injury sustained earlier this month, leaving the Warriors’ backcourt thin as they look to regain momentum.</p><p>The Warriors now embark on a two-game road trip, starting with the Phoenix Suns (10-8) on Saturday and concluding against the Denver Nuggets (10-7) on Tuesday in their final NBA Cup Group Stage game.</p><p>Golden State has already clinched a spot in the knockout quarterfinals, but they remain focused on addressing their recent struggles as they navigate injuries and lineup adjustments.</p><p>With Stephen Curry and De’Anthony Melton’s return timelines uncertain, the Warriors will continue leaning on Jonathan Kuminga’s development and Draymond Green’s leadership as they push forward in a pivotal stretch of the season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Draymond Green gets brutally honest on Jonathan Kuminga’s return to starting lineup

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/are-warriors-stephen-curry-jonathan-kuminga-playing-vs-thunder-latest-injury-updates');   ga('set', 'title', 'Warriors’ Stephen Curry out, Jonathan Kuminga uncertain vs. Thunder');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Are-Stephen-Curry-Jonathan-Kuminga-playing-vs.-Thunder-Latest-injury-updates.jpg"></figure><h1>Warriors’ Stephen Curry out, Jonathan Kuminga uncertain vs. Thunder</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-27T08:58:08-08:00">November 27th, 8:58am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-27T12:39:29-08:00">November 27th, 12:39pm</time><address><a>Brett Siegel</a>Brett Siegel joined ClutchPoints as a credentialed NBA insider and reporter in May 2023 after previously covering the NBA for Fastbreak on FanNation and NBA Analysis Network, as well as working with Louisville Basketball. From playing to coaching to covering the game as a media member, Brett has been involved with the game of basketball from many different perspectives. Breaking the news of various free agent signings, yearly NBA Draft news and other key stories around the league, Brett is always on the phone, getting the latest news and rumors around the NBA. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @BrettSiegelNBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Golden State Warriors</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After starting the 2024-25 season with a 12-3 record, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/why-warriors-must-not-make-panic-moves-over-brutal-collapses">Golden State Warriors have struggled in their recent matchups</a>. Back-to-back losses to the San Antonio Spurs and Brooklyn Nets have stunned Golden State, heading into a very important matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night. The Warriors currently sit next to the Thunder at the top of the Western Conference standings, which makes this the game of the week. Unfortunately for Golden State, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-stephen-curry-jonathan-kuminga-injury-updates-thunder-game">both Stephen Curry and Jonathan Kuminga find themselves on the injury report</a> ahead of this battle.</p><p>Kuminga has missed each of the Warriors’ last two games as a result of an illness. Curry, on the other hand, has been dealing with some bilateral knee pain. Although there isn’t much concern surrounding either player, Kuminga and Curry both face uncertainty ahead of this matchup with Oklahoma City.</p><p>Aside from Warriors fans wondering when Kuminga will return, they are also asking the question: Is Stephen Curry playing against the Thunder?</p><h2><b>Stephen Curry, Jonathan Kuminga injury status vs. Thunder</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Stephen-Curry-and-Jonathan-Kuminga-celebrating.jpg"><figcaption>D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>While there is not a lot of concern surrounding Curry appearing on the injury report with what is being called bilateral patellofemoral pain in his knees, the <a href="https://ak-static.cms.nba.com/referee/injury/Injury-Report_2024-11-27_03PM.pdf" rel="noopener">Warriors’ superstar has been ruled out</a> for Wednesday’s marquee matchup against Oklahoma City.</p><p>Originally listed as questionable to play, Curry was downgraded in the afternoon after the team’s morning shootaround. Kuminga remains questionable to play, with his status to be determined closer to the start of Wednesday night’s game.</p><p>While Kuminga has missed time due to his illness, this is the first time Curry has appeared on the injury report with what bilateral patellofemoral pain. Essentially, the two-time MVP is dealing with discomfort around his kneecap and at the front of his knee. Usually, this is an injury NBA players treat with rest and daily treatments to prevent prolonged absences.</p><p>It is worth mentioning that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-stephen-curry-critical-ankle-injury-update">Curry has dealt with ankle problems early on this year</a> and was forced to miss three games during the second week of the season as a result.</p><p>In Curry’s case, the Warriors don’t seem too concerned over this bilateral knee pain. At the same time, the team will look to get Curry some extra rest and time off before entering what appears to be the most brutal stretch of their schedule this season.</p><p>The Warriors met the Thunder earlier in November in Oklahoma City. Coming off a 19-point loss on the road against the Cleveland Cavaliers, it was Golden State who claimed a 127-116 victory behind Curry’s 36-point outing. Kuminga also stepped up in a big way off the bench with 20 points and five rebounds in 26 total minutes. In this game, Thunder big man <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-chet-holmgren-out-indefinitely-pelvic-fracture">Chet Holmgren suffered a rare pelvic fracture</a> that has sidelined him indefinitely.</p><p>Without Curry on Wednesday night against the Thunder, the Dubs will be limited offensively. Curry is obviously the team’s leading scorer, and Kuminga currently ranks fourth on the team in scoring. Golden State is already without De’Anthony Melton, who suffered a season-ending knee injury.</p><p>More pressure now falls on the shoulders of Andrew Wiggins, Buddy Hield, and Moses Moody to be the main sources of offensive production due to Curry sitting this one out. Another absence for Kuminga would likely lead to increased minutes for Lindy Waters III and Kyle Anderson on the wing.</p><p>So when it comes to the question of if Curry and Kuminga are going to be playing in Wednesday night’s game, the league’s greatest shooter will be sitting this one out to get extra rest for his knees. Kuminga remains a question mark that will be addressed before this game tips off.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Warriors’ Stephen Curry out, Jonathan Kuminga uncertain vs. Thunder

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/warriors-news-stephen-curry-jonathan-kuminga-injury-updates-thunder-game');   ga('set', 'title', 'Warriors’ Stephen Curry, Jonathan Kuminga get injury updates for Thunder game');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Warriors-news-Stephen-Curry-Jonathan-Kuminga-get-injury-updates-for-Thunder-game.jpg"></figure><h1>Warriors’ Stephen Curry, Jonathan Kuminga get injury updates for Thunder game</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-26T17:14:03-08:00">November 26th, 5:14pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-26T17:14:03-08:00">November 26th, 5:14pm</time><address><a>Michael Aaron Gomez</a>Michael Aaron Gomez is a creative writer and longtime NBA fan. He has been a fan of the Lakers since the three-peat but believes LeBron James is the greatest player of all time.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Golden State Warriors</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Golden State Warriors will face the Oklahoma City Thunder in a battle of the top two teams in the Western Conference. After losing two straight games, including an <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-brooklyn-makes-improbable-comeback-against-warriors-down-six-rotation-players">improbable blown game to the Brooklyn Nets</a>, the Bay Area squad have fallen to second place at 12-5. Moreover, the Warriors are dealing with injuries, according to a pregame injury report: <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-deanthony-melton-season-over-acl-surgery">De’Anthony Melton is out for the season</a> with an ACL injury, while Stephen Curry and Jonathan Kuminga are questionable.</p><p>Per the injury report <a href="https://ak-static.cms.nba.com/referee/injury/Injury-Report_2024-11-26_06PM.pdf" rel="noopener">submitted to the league</a>, Curry is dealing with pain in his knee while Kuminga is managing an undisclosed illness.</p><h2><b>Warriors vs. Thunder</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Stephen-Curry-and-Jonathan-Kuminga-celebrating.jpg"><figcaption>© D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>When the Warriors beat the Thunder a few weeks ago, they were riding the high of their hot start that propelled them to the top of the standings. Back then, Buddy Hield couldn’t miss, and their bench unit kept winning, with Jonathan Kuminga playing well, even as Stephen Curry sat out a few games due to injury.</p><p>It’s safe to say that the Warriors had adapted well to losing Klay Thompson in the offseason.</p><p>Moreover, they might have improved without him, as coach Steve Kerr had to go ten-deep to manufacture wins, though some players like <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-moses-moody-major-career-difficulty-limited-warriors-role">Moses Moody still had limited roles</a>.</p><p>Still, that was then. Now, they have cooled off, which usually happens during an 82-game season, and they play a Thunder team that has remained consistent despite <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-chet-holmgren-out-indefinitely-pelvic-fracture">Chet Holmgren sitting out with a hip injury</a>.</p><p>It’s still too early to tell, but fans might also treat this game as a playoff preview, a chance to see where their team stacks up against another contender.</p><p>However, the Warriors-Thunder game also marks the beginning of a tough five-game stretch against a series of Western Conference contenders: the Suns, Nuggets, Rockets, and Timberwolves.</p><h2><b>The Warriors are Finals-bound?</b></h2><p>If you ask former Warriors GM Bob Myers, though, he’d say that the Thunder are really the only major obstacle for the Warriors to reach the Finals.</p><p>Similar to 2022, when the Warriors won the NBA championship, Myers felt that the typically competitive Western Conference is wide-open, with no dominant team putting fear in everyone else.</p><p>“I still think [the Thunder are] going to be hard to get around but <a href="https://warriorswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/warriors/2024/11/24/bob-myers-pinpoints-warriors-biggest-threat-in-the-west/76547528007/" rel="noopener">that’s the only team</a>,” Myers said, via Adam Taylor of Warriors Wire. “That’s the only one I see as an obstacle for the Warriors now.”</p><p>However, the difference between that 2022 title squad and the 2024 team is that the former had a still-productive Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole–two players who shared the scoring load with Stephen Curry.</p><p>Can the Chef rely on Buddy Hield, Lindy Waters III, and Brandin Podziemski to carry the burden in the postseason, when the game slows down and the scoring gets harder?</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Warriors’ Stephen Curry, Jonathan Kuminga get injury updates for Thunder game

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/warriors-news-why-steve-kerr-values-jonathan-kumingas-force-and-power-on-bench');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Warriors’ Steve Kerr values Jonathan Kuminga’s ‘force and power’ on bench');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Why-Steve-Kerr-values-Jonathan-Kumingas-force-and-power-on-bench.jpg"></figure><h1>Why Warriors’ Steve Kerr values Jonathan Kuminga’s ‘force and power’ on bench</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-06T11:41:11-08:00">November 6th, 11:41am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-06T11:41:11-08:00">November 6th, 11:41am</time><address><a>Jack Winter</a>Jack Winter is a veteran NBA writer and editor based on the West Coast. He currently lives in Oakland, covering the Golden State Warriors.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Jonathan Kuminga for Sixth Man of the Year? He’s certainly proven worthy of winning that individual hardware since <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jonathan-kuminga-brandin-podziemski-rescue-warriors-from-embarrassing-loss-to-rockets">moving to the bench</a> over the last four games.</p><p>Now seemingly entrenched in a role he’s never wanted but has paid major dividends for both player and team in the season’s early going, expect the Golden State Warriors forward to cement himself as one of basketball’s most impactful reserves.</p><p>Steve Kerr addressed Kuminga’s status in the rotation during a <a href="https://x.com/957thegame/status/1853969697244664266" rel="noopener">Tuesday appearance</a> on 95.7 The Game, clarifying he would keep coming off the bench going forward.</p><p>“It’s a huge factor for JK to give us what he’s giving. Again, everything is about the puzzle fitting. Everything is about putting together five-man combinations, and we need JK’s force and power. Frankly, we need it more off the bench than we do in the starting lineup,” he told “Willard &amp; Dibs.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Kerr on Kuminga continuing to come off the bench ⤵️ <a href="https://t.co/xthJz68VeO">pic.twitter.com/xthJz68VeO</a></p><p>— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) <a href="https://twitter.com/957thegame/status/1853969697244664266?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 6, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>“I love what I’m seeing. He’s handling it great. He obviously wants to start, everybody wants to start, but that hasn’t impacted his effort or energy at all. In fact, I think he’s looked even better since we’ve brought him off the bench,” Kerr continued. “I think it suits him well with this team. Until things change, we’ll keep going with this, but I love what we’re seeing from JK.”</p><h2><b>The Draymond Green factor behind Jonathan Kuminga’s shift to bench</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Warriors-Draymond-Green-and-Jonathan-Kuminga-celebrate.jpg"><figcaption>Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Just because Kuminga is out of the starting lineup doesn’t mean he’ll revert back to playing power forward full-time this season. Maybe the deepest team in the league, the Warriors are still much better stocked with wings and bigs than backcourt ball-handlers.</p><p>It would make sense for them to occasionally deploy bigger lineups with Kuminga at the three in 2024-25 even irrespective of his longstanding public preference to play on the perimeter. Big picture, letting the 22-year-old endure inevitable growing pains of that positional and stylistic change would undoubtedly be beneficial for both parties.</p><p>But the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-jonathan-kuminga-breaks-silence-on-lack-contract-extension">Dubs didn’t sign Kuminga</a> to the near-max contract he demanded in extension talks, and suddenly look like second-tier contenders at worst in a wild Western Conference. They’re hoping for another puncher’s chance at a title <i>right now</i>, not two or three years down the line when Stephen Curry is approaching 40 and Kuminga may have garnered the reps, experience and additional ball skills needed to thrive playing small forward.</p><p>Draymond Green’s presence is even more instructive than Curry’s here. Kerr spoke in the preseason of the need to limit his time playing small-ball five, a stance Green echoed while simultaneously advocating for <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-draymond-green-eye-opening-claim-on-whats-best-for-jonathan-kuminga">Kuminga’s natural bonafides</a> at the three.</p><p>There haven’t been many smarter players throughout NBA history than Green. He surely knows just how clunky Golden State’s halfcourt offense has been so far while sharing the floor with Kuminga and another big, no surprise given this team’s lack of floor-spacers up front and the latter’s increasing desire to sop up usage with the ball in his hands.</p><p>The Warriors sport a ho-hum offensive rating of <a href="https://www.pbpstats.com/wowy-combos/nba?TeamId=1610612744&amp;Season=2024-25&amp;SeasonType=Regular%2BSeason&amp;PlayerIds=1630228,203110,1631218,1626172,203937" rel="noopener">112.6</a> with the initial starting trio of Kuminga, Green and Jackson-Davis on the floor, per pbpstats.com, failing to compensate for that mediocrity with elite defense en route to a -8.7 net rating. The downsized frontcourt of Kuminga and Green, meanwhile, boasts a gaudy offensive rating of 136.8 while racking up a +23.9 net rating. What about the tandem of Green and Jackson-Davis, with Kuminga on the bench? A +36.9 net rating across 59 minutes, utterly dominating both sides of the ball.</p><p>Sample sizes are still very small this early in the season. Just because the Dubs have basically done away with playing Kuminga alongside Green and a traditional center doesn’t mean he’s been relegated back to power forward exclusively. He’ll still get ample opportunities initiating action as an offensive focal point in bench-heavy lineups with Kyle Anderson and Kevon Looney. Kuminga’s usage even stands to trend up in small-ball outfits featuring Curry, at least if the pointed yet patient “force and power” he’s shown with the ball of late becomes the new game-by-game norm.</p><p>This latest personal disappointment has more to do with the Warriors at large than Kuminga individually. Green’s presence will be an obstacle to his desired role as a full-fledged starter until Kuminga manages the all-around skill and feel required to be his best on the wing—varied, nuanced development that may never come.</p><p>In the meantime, with the specter of Kuminga’s restricted free agency looming next summer, at least Golden State still has its ace in the hole of small-ball readily available for nightly rotation stints and specific circumstances of time, score and opponent. Just don’t expect to see Kuminga and Green manning the frontcourt as starters again this season until the playoffs.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Warriors’ Steve Kerr values Jonathan Kuminga’s ‘force and power’ on bench

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/gary-payton-ii-surprise-start-jonathan-kuminga-is-proof-warriors-concept');   ga('set', 'title', 'Gary Payton II’s surprise start for Jonathan Kuminga is proof of Warriors’ concept');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Warriors-news-Gary-Payton-IIs-surprise-start-for-Jonathan-Kuminga-is-proof-of-Dubs-concept.jpg"></figure><h1>Gary Payton II’s surprise start for Jonathan Kuminga is proof of Warriors’ concept</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-04T19:22:48-08:00">November 4th, 7:22pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-05T09:08:15-08:00">November 5th, 9:08am</time><address><a>Jack Winter</a>Jack Winter is a veteran NBA writer and editor based on the West Coast. He currently lives in Oakland, covering the Golden State Warriors.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Golden State Warriors entered Saturday’s action leading the NBA by averaging a whopping 61 bench points per game. Though they fell one point shy of that mind-blowing number while beating the Washington Wizards <a href="https://www.nba.com/game/gsw-vs-was-0022400155/box-score" rel="noopener">125-112</a>, don’t be surprised if the Dubs’ reserves are even more productive going forward given Jonathan Kuminga’s new role.</p><p>Despite Stephen Curry returning to the lineup after missing the last three games with a sprained left ankle, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-steve-kerr-shakes-up-lineup-with-gary-payton-ii-jonathan-kuminga-twist">Kuminga once again found himself</a> on the bench for tipoff in the nation’s capital. Gary Payton II replaced Kuminga alongside the Warriors’ four cemented starters of Curry, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis against the Wizards.</p><p>Though he ended up playing just 16 minutes and didn’t even start the second half as Kerr toggled the rotation, Payton’s surprise insertion as a starter was nevertheless proof of concept of what it will take for the Warriors to make good on their stellar start to the regular season.</p><h2><b>Why little things loom so large for Gary Payton II, Warriors</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Warriors-Steve-Kerr-and-Gary-Payton-II-react-during-a-game-against-the-Jazz.jpg"><figcaption>Rob Gray-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The first possession of Monday’s game immediately revealed why it seemed odd—on the surface, at least—for the Warriors to replace Kuminga in their season-long starting five with Payton.</p><p>Kerr has fondly referred to Payton as a “6’2 power forward” for years, alluding to the veteran’s keen ability to finish, defend, screen and rebound like a player who typically stands at least half a foot taller.</p><p>But that unique positional designation also points to the lack of perimeter skills that pretty much every other player across the league of Payton’s size possesses. In Saturday’s game, on one play, Jordan Poole abandoned him in the strong-side corner as Green caught the ball at the elbow, leaving Payton all by himself before the ball gets back to Curry for a splash.</p><p>Kerr repeatedly used the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-steve-kerr-reveals-why-benched-jonathan-kuminga">Dubs’ lack of spacing</a> in lineups featuring Kuminga, Green and Jackson-Davis as justification for the former’s initial benching as Curry nursed his sprained ankle. Kuminga is a more frequent, versatile and reliable long-range shooter than Payton, not to mention a more threatening attacker while eating space in front of him off the bounce.</p><p>If the Wizards were so comfortable completely ignoring Payton on the game’s first possession just one pass away from the primary action, how exactly would his presence make life easier for the starters than Kuminga’s?</p><p>Defense looms large to that equation, obviously, but Payton’s spot in the starting five against Washington came down to more than his years of familiarity checking Poole.</p><p>Payton’s rare passing and screening mind meld with Curry stands second only to Green’s among the Warriors. He’s the type of low-usage, quick-thinking “connector” a hopeful star like Kuminga never had a real chance of becoming, always managing to keep Golden State’s halfcourt offense humming despite his obvious limitations as a shooter.</p><p>Literally no time is wasted before Payton heads backdoor for a layup on one third-quarter trip, his 45 cut even coming before Poole commits to meeting Curry on the other side of Green’s hand-off.</p><p>Kuminga has taken strides moving without the ball this season. A driving factor behind his much-improved play with Curry sidelined was Kuminga making faster, more pointed decisions, beginning to embrace “.5 basketball” like his more veteran teammates have en masse so far.</p><p>Yet as much as he’s expanded his game since entering the league, Kuminga can still only tap so far into the intuitive two-way grunt work that helped Payton find a lasting NBA home in Golden State.</p><p>This consecutive offensive sequence from the second quarter of Saturday’s game seems simple enough, but Payton might be the only player on the roster capable of regularly stringing it together.</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>It’s not just floor spacing that makes Kuminga a tough on-court fit next to a pair of nonshooting bigs.</p><p>His <a href="https://www.pbpstats.com/on-off/nba/player?Season=2024-25&amp;SeasonType=Regular%2BSeason&amp;TeamId=1610612744&amp;PlayerId=201939" rel="noopener">usage rate ballooning</a> for the second year running while playing without Curry is justification enough to bring Kuminga off the bench. The stagnant nature of Golden State’s halfcourt offense to open games before Curry went down with his injury served as confirmation bias of that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/predicting-warriors-2024-25-starting-lineup-after-jonathan-kuminga-decision">bygone starting five’s presumed deficiencies</a>.</p><p>When Kuminga and Green share the floor together, the Dubs are clearly at their best playing small up front—an approach the 34-year-old hopes to avoid for extended stretches this season.</p><p>Plugging and playing Payton alongside Curry, Wiggins, Green and Jackson-Davis is no panacea. The full-strength Warriors are bound to change their starting lineup again as 2024-25 continues.</p><p>If you’re wondering why Kerr and the coaching staff believe Golden State functions better with Payton taking the starting spot that used to be Kuminga’s, though, pay extra close attention to the little things.</p><p>Juggernaut days of the dynasty are long gone, even with the Dubs racing out to a dominant 6-1 start ahead of Wednesday’s clash with the defending-champion Boston Celtics. Living up to it by making real noise in the playoffs come spring will take a blend of chemistry, continuity and connectivity that Golden State’s level of top-end talent just can’t come close to matching.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Gary Payton II’s surprise start for Jonathan Kuminga is proof of Warriors’ concept

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/warriors-news-steve-kerr-shakes-up-lineup-with-gary-payton-ii-jonathan-kuminga-twist');   ga('set', 'title', 'Warriors’ Steve Kerr shakes up lineup with Gary Payton II, Jonathan Kuminga twist');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/warriors-starters-vs-wizards.jpg"></figure><h1>Warriors’ Steve Kerr shakes up lineup with Gary Payton II, Jonathan Kuminga twist</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-04T15:57:08-08:00">November 4th, 3:57pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-04T16:06:25-08:00">November 4th, 4:06pm</time><address><a>Jack Winter</a>Jack Winter is a veteran NBA writer and editor based on the West Coast. He currently lives in Oakland, covering the Golden State Warriors.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Golden State Warriors</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Golden State Warriors still aren’t quite back at full-strength.</p><p>De’Anthony Melton remains sidelined on Monday in the nation’s capital, dealing with nagging low back pain that caused him to miss most of last season with the Philadelphia 76ers and reared its ugly head again in mid-October amid the Warriors’ exhibition slate. Golden State has enough quality depth to take an ultra cautious approach to his playing status. Don’t expect to see Melton back on the floor until the discomfort in his back is minimal to nonexistent.</p><p>No matter when he returns to the lineup, Melton probably won’t re-emerge as a candidate to start for the mostly healthy Warriors, either. Yet less than two weeks into 2024-25, it’s become clear Golden State’s starting five could be subject to continued change going forward.</p><p>With Stephen Curry available on Monday after <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1853571239627145535" rel="noopener">recovering from a sprained left ankle</a>, the Warriors are starting Andrew Wiggins, Gary Payton II, Draymond Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis against the Washington Wizards alongside the two-time MVP. Conspicuously absent from that group is Jonathan Kuminga, who started in Payton’s place at his preferred position of small forward over the first three games of the regular season.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Tonight’s starters ⤵️ <a href="https://t.co/CjiQkVpD2s">pic.twitter.com/CjiQkVpD2s</a></p><p>— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) <a href="https://twitter.com/warriors/status/1853585034017697890?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 4, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><h2>Is Jonathan Kuminga bound to Warriors’ bench for good?</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Warriors-Jonathan-Kuminga-dribbles-against-Clippers.jpg"><figcaption>D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>There’s no denying that Kuminga has played his best basketball of the young season as a reserve. He’s averaging 18.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, two assists and one steal while coming off the bench, shooting 51.4% overall and 42.9% on 2.3 three-point attempts per game—a blend of production and efficiency that stands in stark contrast to his ugly numbers while starting.</p><p><a href="https://www.pbpstats.com/on-off/nba/player?Season=2024-25&amp;SeasonType=Regular%2BSeason&amp;TeamId=1610612744&amp;PlayerId=201939" rel="noopener">Kuminga’s usage</a> has ballooned to alpha-dog levels this season when playing without Curry, too, a trend that dates back to 2023-24. As much as he and Green so staunchly believe in his star future at small forward, you don’t need Kerr’s nine championship rings to know that Kuminga’s at his best right now as a four.</p><p>His sample size as a starter and reserve is tiny either way. It’s also hardly surprising both player and team would need some time before fully acclimating to Kuminga starting on the wing.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-steve-kerr-reveals-why-benched-jonathan-kuminga">Kerr alluded</a> to that reality while explaining the decision to bring the 22-year-old off the bench after the Dubs’ convincing win over the New Orleans Pelicans on October 29th, the first game Curry missed and one of two for which Wiggins joined he and Melton in street clothes.</p><p>“Well without Steph and Wiggs, I didn’t want to start Trayce, Draymond and JK. I wanted a little more spacing,” he said. “…All it is is just shuffling the lineup to try and get the right five-man grouping on there. But without Steph and Wiggs, to me it didn’t make sense to start the three bigs without those guards.”</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jonathan-kuminga-surprise-benching-sparks-season-best-performance-warriors-win-pelicans">two-way prowess Kuminga</a> put on display in that first matchup with New Orleans was just as evident for another win over the Pelicans 24 hours later, not to mention the driving force behind the Warriors holding on for an absolutely wild overtime victory against the Houston Rockets on Saturday.</p><p>Kuminga finished with season-highs of 23 points and six rebounds in H-Town, shooting 7-of-12 overall, 2-of-3 from deep and 7-of-10 at the free throw line. It was one of the most patient yet assertive offensive performances of his career, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jonathan-kuminga-brandin-podziemski-rescue-warriors-from-embarrassing-loss-to-rockets">Kuminga routinely identifying</a> his specific advantage then working quickly to exploit it. That overtime scoring binge got the most attention and rightfully so, but his dogged individual defense on Jalen Green helped keep the Rockets’ leading scorer from ever finding a groove, too.</p><p>“He’s been great. This is the third game in a row he’s come off the bench and these were his three best games,” Kerr said of Kuminga after the game. “I think the way he’s responded to a role change is perfect. That’s what we expect. The professionalism, the force that he brought, coming off the bench and playing the way he has is a huge sign of growth. Couldn’t be more proud of JK.”</p><p>Kuminga didn’t hide his initial frustration at being moved back to the bench. While stressing that his mindset won’t change regardless and how team success always looms largest, it was still obvious he was miffed by being pulled from the starting lineup so soon after the deadline for rookie-scale contract extensions came and went without him signing a new deal.</p><p>What a testament to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-draymond-green-sends-jonathan-kuminga-message-benching">Kuminga’s growing maturity</a> that he didn’t let any of that resentment fester onto the floor while Curry was out. The next step is ensuring that remains the case across the 82-game grind, as Kuminga’s former stranglehold on a starting spot seems more tenuous than ever with Payton in the opening five against Washington.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
15.5	4.5	2.0	0.6	0.9

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
15.5	4.5	2.0	0.6	0.9

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