Ahead of the crucial game 7, Steve Kerr made a bold statement regarding playing time for one of his star players. “100%. He’s on the table.” The Warriors’ HC was referring to Jonathan Kuminga, who last suited up on April 11 before this series. No nagging injuries are troubling the young forward, but the plans of Kerr where JK does not fit the rotation with Jimmy Butler in the lineup. However, Charles Barkley, who has voiced his frustration over Kerr’s tactics, once again supported Kuminga.

“They can’t do anything. They’re just too little, that’s why I think Steve made a mistake not playing Kuminga because he’s the only athletic big guy that the Warriors have, and he’s banished him to Saudi Arabia.” During the recent broadcast of Inside the NBA, Sir Charles was very blunt with his assessment of the Warriors’ small lineup. It was during the preview of the game, and host Ernie Johnson reminded that JK was in consideration after Kerr’s statement. However, Charles Barkley was not having any of it.

“You can’t, listen, you ain’t played a guy in a week, and you’re going to throw him out there in game seven. Come on, Ernie, you got more common sense than that. I said a week ago, he said, “Oh, everything’s on the table.” Well, he should have been on the damn table in games 1 2 3 and 4 and 5 and six.” As Chuck pointed out, Kuminga has only played significant minutes in the Playoffs when Butler was injured. The 22-year-old forward was a steady contributor during the regular season, averaging 15.3 points per game, but saw a sharp dip in minutes after Golden State acquired Jimmy Butler.

Before game 7, the Rockets duo of Adams and Sengun gave plenty of problems to the dub nation. They led in paint by +62 points and +37 in rebounds. That is why Charles Barkley was calling for the athletic ability of Kuminga to be put to use. The Warriors’ HC used him in game 7, but for just 7 minutes. Which led to support for the young forward.

Barkley’s past endorsements of JK

“You mess with Kuminga’s confidence for two straight weeks, and you throw him out there in a game 7. Poor management of talent. Just don’t play him or live with him.” One vocal comment from a member of the Dub Nation echoed the sentiment. Before the minutes in game 7, Kuminga played just 43 minutes in this series, averaging merely 9 points with four DNPs.

Charles Barkley previously predicted that the Warriors won’t win the championship if JK doesn’t play. “They better play him. But let me tell you why. They’re not going to win a championship cause they’re going to start playing against better teams. He’s the only guy who is athletic on their team who got size.” The 76ers legend’s assessment is not wrong. Ever since the Butler trade, the trusted 5 for Kerr is Curry, Podziemski, Butler, Moody, and Draymond. Where Butler at 6’7”, is somehow the tallest guy on the court for them.

On January 16, 2024, Barkley famously lampooned Inside the NBA’s production crew when they misspelled Kuminga’s name as “Cuminga.” “That’s not how you spell Kuminga, fools upstairs,” he quipped. “We hire fools around here.” The joke only emphasized how seriously he took the young forward’s value. Beyond televised rants, Barkley plugged Kuminga on the Warriors Plus Minus podcast, lamenting that benching a restricted free agent with his upside could cost the franchise tens of millions in future value.

Kuminga’s confidence visibly wavered in his performance as well. Despite averaging 15.3 points and shooting 45.4% from the field during the regular season, Kuminga has had several zero-impact games. This also includes a 23-minute scoreless outing vs. Utah on April 14. Even in Game 7, he was scoreless, missing easy layups. So, the player has to buckle up since his role is shrinking and his future with the team is uncertain. Whether or not Kerr heeds him, Barkley’s consistent advocacy cements Kuminga as the Warriors’ most potent wild card.