As the Golden State Warriors defeated the Houston Rockets, 104-93, to take a 2-1 series lead in their first-round matchup, head coach Steve Kerr seemed to make all the right moves.

With star forward Jimmy Butler missing another game with a pelvic contusion, the Warriors needed all possible help from their supporting cast, and, on the back of a 36-point night from Stephen Curry, they got exactly what they needed.

Quinten Post, although he was cold on offense, had his best defensive performance of the season, grabbing rebounds and clogging the paint with his size. Buddy Hield and Gary Payton II had unlikely offensive performances, keeping Golden State in the game toward the end of the first half and propelling them to a lead late in the second.

However, Kerr’s decision to start struggling forward Jonathan Kuminga over Moses Moody was one that did not pay off, and it serves as another reminder of why Kuminga has sealed his fate with this organization.

Jonathan Kuminga’s time in Golden State is likely done

With Butler missing, Kerr gave Kuminga the starting nod in order to include an downhill offensive threat in the team’s game plan. Kuminga, however, looked hesitant to drive to the rim from the start of the game, instead operating mostly with lousy pump fakes and bad, contested mid-range and layup attempts.

This resulted in him being limited to only 17 minutes in the game, posting seven points, one rebound and two assists.

Moody, meanwhile, has been an excellent 3-and-D player throughout the season for the Warriors, and, in 23 minutes last night, posted seven points, three rebounds and two assists.

While the numbers do not pop off the page in contrast to Kuminga’s, Moody’s defensive presence made a major impact in disrupting Houston’s chaotic offensive structure while Kuminga often looked soft and out of position on that end of the floor.

Therefore, not only has Moody made clear that he should start every game for the rest of this playoff run, but Kuminga has also sealed his own fate with the organization this offseason.

Kuminga, 22, will be a restricted free agent at the end of this season, and, since falling out of the rotation entirely in the Warriors’ final, must-win game of the regular season against the Los Angeles Clippers, has clearly been out of Kerr’s good graces.

His inability to provide what the team needs from him (physicality at the rim, cutting to provide outlets to Curry and Jimmy Butler, and staunch defense) has heavily limited his impact on this new iteration of Golden State.

Now, it seems as though he has been given one last chance in a spot where his team desperately needed him to perform, and he has yet again come short, sealing his fate as a castoff from the organization this offseason.