Draymond Green believes that the controversy over Jonathan Kuminga’s recent Warriors benching is being overblown.
The 34-year-old superstar explained why Kuminga was moved to the bench and why it’s not a big deal during a segment on “The Draymond Green Show."
“It was 100 percent blown out of proportion,” Green said. “Which is why you see JK enter the game the way he entered the game with his foot on the gas pedal. And he entered the game with a force [we needed] him to play with.
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“A complete overreaction because the reality is the lineup changes [with Steph Curry not playing]. With Steph not being out there you need to add more shooting in different spots. As opposed to JK being in, we added Moses [Moody] and Buddy [Hield] because you need that shooting to space the floor out.”
With Golden State having loads of depth to start the season, Steve Kerr has been experimenting with starting lineups. Given Steph Curry’s ankle injury, the Warriors have looked to Hield and Moody to score from beyond the 3-point line.
The Warriors lean on Kuminga to provide a stronger presence around the rim, and the 22-year-old has played exceptionally well in recent games coming off the bench.
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This is not the first time Kuminga has been involved in a benching controversy, as he clashed with Kerr over playing time last season, sitting for crucial portions of crunch time.
So far, the lineup maneuvers have worked out with Golden State sporting a 4-1 record through the first five games of the 2024-2025 NBA season.
Given the 82-game regular season, expect more lineup tinkering from the Warriors. Still, Kuminga is an essential part of the team, and Green and the rest of the roster know the impact he makes whether or not he’s in the starting lineup.
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