Kuminga explains his mindset as he deals with being moved to the Warriors’ bench
Jonathan Kuminga found himself handed a new but familiar role Tuesday night, and the 22-year-old handled it with grace.
After starting the Warriors’ first three games of the season, Kuminga was moved to the bench for Golden State’s 124-106 win over the New Orleans Pelicans at Chase Center.
The fourth-year forward explained his thoughts on replacing Zena Keita on NBC Sports Bay Area shortly after scoring 17 points on 6-of-13 field goals in 28 minutes in the come-from-behind victory.
“This is just a basketball game,” Kuminga told Keita. “At the end of the day, we have to stay professional all the time. That’s all we do. Just come out here every day and play. That’s what we do every day. Because it’s a choice, no matter what the circumstances are, no matter what’s going on. It’s so easy to come here, be a pro, play the game of basketball that you love, and go home. .”
With Kuminga on the bench and Stephen Curry, Andrew Wiggins and De’Anthony Melton all out with injuries, the Warriors are running back Brandin Podzemski, Buddy Hield, Moses Moody, Draymond Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis. Appointed as a starter.
Still, Kuminga was instrumental in helping the Warriors erase a 20-point deficit and defeat the Pelicans by 18 points.
The Warriors had scored 110 points at the end of the first quarter, and it was Green’s message at halftime that sparked the comeback.
“Everything starts with Draymond,” Kuminga told Keita. “Draymond came into the locker room and said to all of us, ‘These guys look good right now, but once you put pressure on them, they’re all going to fade.’ And the same thing happened. We all got here just by putting pressure on the defense, saying, “If we put pressure on the defense, it’s going to be easy.” That’s what we came out here with, [did]. ”
The Warriors are 3-1 this season, and early lineup changes that could cause tensions don’t seem to be an issue for now.
Kuminga looks at the big picture and understands that even if he doesn’t start, he will still play an important role on a Warriors team looking to return to the NBA playoffs.
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