Back in January,
Jonathan Kuminga stated that he has "lost faith in coach
Steve Kerr" and "no longer believes Kerr will allow him to reach his full potential". Fast forward 2 months later and now the forward for Golden State has a change of heart, saying that he would love to be a "Warrior for life". So what exactly changed in these last couple of months?
The
Golden State Warriors had a rough start to their season and things have not gone according to plan. They had championship aspirations but instead were fighting to reach a play-in spot. Their veterans have taken a step back and missed time due to suspensions or injury and instead of relying on the young prospects, head coach Steve Kerr continued to roll out with the players that he trusted for numerous years.
This mindset upset the third-year forward Jonathan Kuminga, as he believed he has taken a step forward and could help this Warriors team pick up some wins. Instead, he continued to rot on the bench before coming out with his statement about Golden State's head coach.
Kerr then gave the former lottery pick more minutes, and his production has gone up. Kuminga has revived his season as he is now averaging 16.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists on 26.0 minutes per game. He is now thriving with a boost of confidence as over he has scored 19 or more points in 9 of his last 10 games.
The Warriors have improved as a team as well, as they are now in a play-in spot with a chance to make the playoffs. The 21-year-old said that he and Kerr now see eye-to-eye and that his vision is coming to fruition.
He believed that the young players on this team had a bunch of talent and could help take some load off the veterans shoulders. Once the head coach realized that, everybody has started to improve their game and they have been winning games. Kuminga is happy with his situation now and would love to remain with this organization for his whole career.