The Golden State Warriors’ decision not to go full-throttle with their youth movement in the 2023-24 season has been listed as one of the reasons for the team’s failure to reach the playoffs.
Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes believes the Warriors waited too long to give Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis more playing time earlier in the season.
Although all four players eventually found their roles in the rotation, Hughes wonders if the Warriors season could have turned out differently had coach Steve Kerr shown more faith in the youngsters.
“Looking at Jonathan Kuminga now, it’s hard to fathom how it took so long for him to secure a regular role in the Golden State Warriors’ rotation. Stephen Curry is still the Dubs’ most important figure, but it’s the 21-year-old Kuminga who projects to lead the way in a post-Curry world,” Hughes wrote.
Jonathan Kuminga Held Back?
Hughes pointed out how Kuminga, in particular, proved his worth after reportedly butting heads with Kerr earlier in the season.
“Week by week, he [Kuminga] did a few more of the little things. Still, Kerr would routinely leave Kuminga on the bench for long stretches, even in fourth quarters when Golden State clearly needed the boost his athleticism and size provided.”
To Hughes’ point, Kuminga showed after Kerr finally started giving the third-year forward starter minutes in early January. Kuminga averaged 20.6 points in January, less than two months after he averaged 11.3 points in November.
Did Kerr wait too long to unleash Kuminga?
“It’s worth wondering where they might have landed if Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis had gotten a chance to shine sooner,” Hughes concluded.
Warriors Facing Catch-22 Situation
With the 2023-24 campaign behind them, the Warriors are expected to reshape the roster to give Stephen Curry a better chance at capturing his fifth championship next season. However, to do so, they would likely have to bring in other veteran players to help out Curry, Draymond Green and possibly Klay Thompson (if he re-signs).
As such, the exact same questions could arise in a year — unless Kuminga, Moody and other young players take gigantic leaps and become core parts of a playoff team.
Kuminga, for one, is confident about returning an All-Star level player next season.
“It’s all going to depend on how I take this summer,” Kuminga said. “It’s all going to come down to how I go through this summer. Anything is possible, and I feel like I could do it [become an All-Star] going into next year. It all comes down to what kind of summer I’m going to have.”
Despite the challenges that await the Warriors, Curry plans to remain optimistic.
“I’m always going to believe that [I have a shot to win a title],” Curry told reporters in his season-ending press conference, via The Ringer. “But I know there’s a lot that goes into being serious contenders. Because this league has changed dramatically. We’re two years removed from the last championship, but we have to do better. Whatever that means, it should be a collective effort with the powers that be in this franchise to make it happen.”
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