Former Warriors big man DeMarcus Cousins isn’t happy with the way head coach Steve Kerr has treated Jonathan Kuminga.
He got super honest about Kerr’s decision to bench Kuminga early in the playoffs and blasted his development of young players in general.
“I think they lost Kuminga,” Cousins said on Run It Back. “I think Steve Kerr ruined that relationship with the DNPs. We’ve seen this happen time and time again when it comes to him and dealing with young talent. He just doesn’t handle young talent well. He doesn’t develop young — I mean, out of the years he’s been there, we’ve seen one guy develop under Steve Kerr and they ran him off as well, and that was Jordan Poole. So, when it comes to young talent, I just don’t think they handle it well. And, I can see Kuminga being on the move.”
Despite not much playing time in the postseason, Kuminga was one of Golden State’s shining lights, scoring at least 18 points in every game he played and 30 points in the Dubs’ Game 3 loss.
Although, there are two sides to every story of course. Recently, a report from an insider came out and detailed how Kerr and the Warriors coaching staff were irked by the rising stars decisions.
“Despite his talent, Kuminga’s propensity to look for his shot at the expense of the flow of Golden State’s offense has irked the coaching staff,” The Ringer’s Logan Murdock wrote.
“During a late-season game against the Blazers, team sources say Kerr was incensed after several instances in which Kuminga looked off [Stephen] Curry to create his own offense. Kuminga subsequently received DNPs in the Warriors’ regular-season finale against the Clippers and then again in their play-in matchup against the Grizzlies. By the start of the playoffs, many within the organization wondered whether Kuminga, who is eligible for an extension, had played his last game as a Warrior.”
READ MORE: Insider Says Jonathan Kuminga ‘Irked’ Warriors With His Attitude
