The Golden State Warriors’ ongoing standoff with Jonathan Kuminga has stretched into its ninth week, and Jimmy Butler’s impact is at the heart of the saga.
When Butler was acquired from Miami on February 6, the team instantly shifted direction.
Before Butler’s debut, the Warriors were 25-26. Afterward, they won 14 of 16 games and closed the season 23-8, the third-best record in the league.
Golden State went 13-2 in the stretch when Butler played while Jonathan Kuminga was sidelined with an ankle sprain. That surge all but sealed the 22-year-old forward’s fate.
“…There is no way Kerr would start JK at forward ahead of decorated veterans Green or Butler,” NBC Sports Bay Area reported. “There was no way Kerr would start a frontcourt of Kuminga, Butler and Green (at center), inviting a clogged offense that would make every game an obstacle course for Curry and the three defenders chasing him.”
The Warriors had once envisioned Kuminga as a cornerstone, even overhauling their player-development staff when he arrived. Jama Mahlalela and the late Dejan Milojevic were brought in to maximize his raw talent, and the “two timelines” approach briefly seemed viable after the 2022 championship. But four seasons in, the fit never clicked.
“One guy that was put in a similar situation is Paul George when he got to Indiana,” an NBA executive told NBC Sports Bay Area. “When he got there, they were right on the cusp. Danny Granger was playing in front of him, and Lance Stephenson was there. And eventually, he was able to play with that David West group; they were competing for championships. But it was like the perfect setup for Paul. They weren’t a big-market team, but they were a good team. He got a chance to grow while they were trying to win. And a lot of his mistakes weren’t as magnified as Kuminga’s have been because of the team he is on.”
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