21 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks on average. At first glance, the integration of Jonathan Kuminga to the Warriors’ starting five seems to be convincing. But despite the efforts of the Congolese, and the various experiments of Steve Kerr in recent weeks, Golden State is unable to stop its bad series, with seven defeats in the last nine games. The placement of Jonathan Kuminga in position 4 has multiple repercussions and the balance of the team does not yet satisfy his coach.
The coach of the San Francisco franchise spoke at length on Friday about the various problems with his training, starting with these end of matches which are so costly this season. But also on the question of this not yet optimal racket. Draymond Green associated with Trayce Jackson-Davis or Kevon Looney? Jonathan Kuminga with one of the Warriors’ two professional pivots? Or the latest iteration Kuminga – Green? In 24 games played, the Warriors have already tested 13 different starting fives, and five configurations in the paint.
Jonathan Kuminga and Draymond Green, both best at position 4
« Everything is on the table, there are always options » insists Steve Kerr, faithful to his philosophy since the start of the season. “ But Jonathan Kuminga as a power forward makes much more sense to me. If we have Trayce or Kevon at 5, which is what I want to do because Draymond is better at 4, he is the best defender in the world and when you put him at 4, he can do everything. If you put him in 5, he must shoulder a big responsibility, you saw him the other evening having to defend Alperen Sengun in the low post. This takes away a big part of his game. On the other side of the field, he is the balance point of our attack in the high post, and that’s a lot. »
The two most dominant players individually in the Warriors’ racket therefore find themselves in the same position, and with a contribution as different as it is difficult to reconcile.
Would the problem then be insoluble to resolve? “ Having Draymond as a power forward and Trayce or Loon’ as a pivot is our best chance of consistently having a good team on both ends of the floor, but it’s tricky » sums up Steve Kerr. “ This takes away minutes from other players in other positions. »
If the Golden State technician undoubtedly hopes that the imminent arrival of Dennis Schröder will balance the debates on the back lines, the situation of his racket still poses a problem. An almost structural problem.
A defensive team
« If we bring Draymond off the bench, it hurts us on defense because he is not on the opponent’s best player, he is not there during the first six minutes to set the tone. Draymond has been good in attack at position 4, he has shot well the last two seasons (38% from distance this season, with a career best of 1.4 successes on average, editor’s note) and he finds himself with more positions at 3- points, especially in the corner. »
Enough to play horseshoe with four players around the arc like in the Kevin Durant era? Steve Kerr prefers to smile: “ non« . « We’re not built that way so it doesn’t worry me. We are a defensive team, that’s our identity. We’re almost a third of the way through the season and we have the fourth best defense in the league, which has held up even during this bad series. »
Observations, concerns, but no real solutions for the Warriors. Unless perhaps another major exchange is carried out in the coming weeks, when Jimmy Butler’s name keeps coming back to the Bay and could resolve the situation… if Jonathan Kuminga were to be involved, head to Miami.