Steve Kerr has a history of pushing the right buttons when it matters most. And after back-to-back losses turned a 3–1 lead into a full-blown crisis, the Warriors’ head coach may be reaching for one more switch: Jonathan Kuminga.
“Playing Kuminga is 100% on the table,” Kerr told reporters after Friday’s Game 6 loss. (Anthony Slater)
The Warriors looked every bit their age in the fourth quarter at Chase Center, outscored 31–23 by a Houston Rockets squad that’s thriving on youth, size, and momentum. With the 115–107 loss, Golden State not only squandered a closeout game at home—they let the entire mood of the series shift.
Now, heading back to Houston for Game 7, Kerr may be forced to tap into one of the few cards he hasn’t played: the 21-year-old forward who averaged 15.3 points per game this season but hasn’t touched the floor in the last two games.
Golden State got bullied—Kuminga brings bite
The Rockets’ physical front line of Alperen Şengün and Steven Adams has overwhelmed the Warriors in the paint. Golden State’s rebounding has been abysmal, and the defensive rotations have looked slow and flat. Jimmy Butler and Stephen Curry have carried the offensive load, but help has been scarce.
Enter Kuminga—explosive, long, rested, and with something to prove. He hasn’t been a consistent part of the rotation since Kerr leaned into smaller lineups late in the regular season, and he’s been benched entirely in Games 5 and 6. But he might be exactly the kind of high-energy disruptor this series suddenly demands.
In a Game 7 on the road, sometimes it’s not about experience—it’s about fresh legs, hunger, and chaos.
The Kuminga Question—and the Gamble
Let’s be clear: This isn’t just a plug-and-play situation. Kuminga’s limited minutes in Games 2 and 3 came when Butler was sidelined, and his fit next to the veteran star has been a lingering question. That tension—Kuminga’s individual promise vs. the team’s late-season chemistry—has kept him out of the mix.
But now? There’s nothing to preserve. It’s win or pack your bags. Kerr said himself: everything is on the table—including the starting lineup.
And for Kuminga, this might be more than a one-game redemption shot. With free agency looming and trade rumours swirling, this could be the last meaningful moment he has in a Warriors jersey.
All eyes on Sunday
Curry shook his head on the bench late in Game 6, clearly frustrated as the Chase Center crowd began to thin. The team that was once up 3–1 is now scrambling to survive.
Houston’s energy is real. The Rockets have figured out how to frustrate Curry, crowd Butler, and own the glass. But the Warriors still have championship DNA—and maybe, just maybe, one last weapon to unleash.
Kuminga may not save the series. But if Golden State’s going down, it’s only right they do it with every option on the floor.
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