As the Golden State loses its 4th consecutive match, Jonathan Kuminga’s scoring struggles continue. This isn’t entirely on him—he’s carrying a hefty offensive load. The limited minutes don’t let him find his rhythm, and without Stephen Curry’s gravity or Draymond Green’s playmaking in some lineups, it’s an uphill battle. The Warriors often throw him into isolation plays, which he’s still working on perfecting.

The Suns jumped to an early 35-29 lead, with Booker, Durant, and Jones each scoring 8+ points. Phoenix shot 7-10 from three, while Golden State struggled at 9-22. Curry, quiet in the first half, came alive with 15 points in the third, but Phoenix maintained a steady lead. A clutch Tyus Jones three-pointer pushed the Suns’ lead to 13, and despite a late Warriors rally, Phoenix secured the win with free throws.

And it looks like Steve Kerr is uncertain about Kuminga going forward. “He’s better with those guys [Curry and Green], most guys are but again we’ve got a lot of things to think about this week.” said Kerr speaking to the media after the match. Things like how to manage Kuminga’s minutes? Maybe. He’ll be a restricted free agent next season after the Warriors couldn’t reach an agreement before 21st October.

Speculation continues to swirl around the 22-year-old forward, especially with questions about his fit in Golden State’s system. Those doubts only grew when Kuminga shifted to a bench role after starting the team’s first three games.

Fans aren’t happy with the minutes he has been getting.

Fans feel Kerr isn’t doing justice to Kuminga’s potential

Unhappy with how he has been used by Kerr, one user wrote, “I get the Kuminga criticisms but i think too often he’s put in lineups with 2 or more non shooters. Jus not an environment for him to thrive in offensively, gotta open up the lane for him.” The Warriors might need to tighten their rotation to ensure Kuminga gets more playing time in lineups that suit him better. Like with Curry and Green where he can shine. Moses Moody got 3 mins today whereas Pat Spences got 8. What is going on?

Another netizen chimed in with, “Bro the first 3 qts he was out there with tjd/gp2/loon. Ave the 2nd unit wasn’t even running plays for him” Kuminga prefers driving to the basket over hanging around the perimeter and favors isolation plays over catching and shooting. It is kind of opposite to Kerr’s movement and three-point shooting offense. But at least he needs players who can free up the driving lanes for him.

Say what you may, but the team is built around Steph Curry. One user pointed it out correctly, “Roster designed to play around Steph.Kuminga forced to be a roleplayer in Kerr system” Kerr focuses on fast movements and catch and shoot threes. Kuminga thrives with open spacing. It’s like the system has been designed for him to fail.

Another fan expressed his disappointment with the Warriors’ approach, they wrote “The issue i had with this team is they decided to go into the season with 2 real shooters. We’ve known jk a spacing merchant for a while now. Makes it virtually impossible for him to thrive on this team” Kuminga excels when he lowers his shoulder and attacks the rim, using his speed or strength to outmatch defenders. Right now, his driving style is more straightforward, and his ball-handling still lacks creativity. But all the Warriors do is take ill-advised threes.

“If he wants a max contract then he better learn to shoot asap.” wrote one user. This advice makes sense, if he wants to be a part of the future plan at Golden State, he should improve his shooting. The contract negotiations will be smooth as well. He’ll get what he wants.