After Stephen Curry injured his ankle, fans expected Jonathan Kuminga to take over and embrace the superstar role. Instead, Steve Kerr demoted him from the starting lineup, claiming, “Without Steph and (Wiggins), I didn’t wanna start Trayce, Draymond, and (Kuminga).” However, the forward has surprisingly excelled coming off the bench. And even though the Bay Area’s Splash Bro is now back after a three-game hiatus, Kerr seems to have no plan of making any changes to JK’s role after witnessing his progression.

Yes, Jonathan Kuminga was a starter for the first three games. But the hooper was struggling to find his groove and averaged only 8 points. However, since he has been coming off the bench, his scoring average has increased to 17.7 points. Addressing his production in the new role, Kerr said, “It’s a huge factor for JK to give us what he’s giving. Again, everything is about the puzzle fitting and everything is about putting together five men combinations.”

Moreover, Steve Kerr has sealed the young forward’s fate for the upcoming games, “We need JK’s force and power, and frankly, we need it more off the bench than we do in the starting lineup. So, I love what I’m seeing.” Sure enough, there are speculations that Jonathan Kuminga’s diminished role and contract problems could lead to locker-room tensions. However, Kerr denied those rumors in a recent interview claiming the roster has a “really good vibe this year.”

Meanwhile, he also revealed how Kuminga has reacted to this big change. “He’s handling it great. He obviously wants to start. Everybody wants to start. But that hasn’t impacted his effort and his energy at all. In fact, I think he’s looked even better since we’ve brought him off the bench. I think it suits him well with this team. And so, until things change, we’ll keep going with this, but I love what we’re seeing from JK.”

Jonathan Kuminga claimed he was not bothered by Steve Kerr’s decision: “It don’t matter”

Following JK’s shocking benching against the Pelicans, the forward revealed his emotions after the game, “I don’t think the role has changed.” Surprisingly, he took it in a positive light, “It don’t matter. We all still playing out there. It don’t really matter. It’s just going out there and being a professional and playing as hard as you can.” Well, this positive approach might be the reason why he has been performing so well in his new role.

While he is no longer a starter, it has not had any negative impact on his playing time. In fact, he is averaging a decent 23.7 minutes. And if he continues playing like he has been, that number is only going to increase. He added, “All the minutes you get, no matter if it’s 2 or whatever minutes you get, you just gotta go out there and perform at the highest level no matter what it is… That’s when you get all the minutes you want.” Of course, this has worked tremendously in the Warriors’ favor as they are now 6-1 to start the season. So, it makes sense why Steve Kerr does not want to mess with the winning formula.

Obviously, Dub Nation is also concerned about JK’s future in the Bay Area as he did not ink an extension this summer. Moreover, it was recently revealed that he was eyeing a $35 million annual salary. However, the franchise was not willing to cross the $30 million mark. And Kuminga’s performance this season will be crucial in determining the value of his next contract and the team he signs it with.

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