Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was handed the keys to extended glory. Having already delivered three championships, Kerr’s roster received aid in the form of three lottery picks in a span of two years, including two top-10 selections.
Kerr managed to deliver a fourth title in 2022, but many have been left to ponder if recent issues with sustainability could’ve been avoided had the youth movement been empowered with greater aim.
Thankfully, the clock hasn’t run out on Kerr, the Warriors’ star players, or the up-and-comers with untapped potential. Unfortunately, the manner in which internal development has been prioritized has alienated Jonathan Kuminga—a promising young scorer in pursuit of stability in free agency.
In an interview with Tim Kawakami of The San Francisco Standard, Kerr summarized the situation at hand when he stated that he doesn’t know if Kuminga fits the win-now directive he’s been handed.
“It’s a tricky one because Jonathan obviously is gifted and wants to play a bigger role and wants to play more. And for me, I’ve been asked to win. And right now, he’s not a guy who I can say I’m going to play 38 minutes with the roster that we have—Steph and Jimmy and Draymond—and put the puzzle together that way and expect to win.”
For as understandable as Kerr’s stance may be, the only way to maximize the current star trio’s championship window will be to embrace the early woes that come with empowering the future.
Warriors must balance development with title aspirations to contend
The Warriors have one of the best star trios in the NBA with Jimmy Butler, Stephen Curry, and Draymond Green. If rumors hold true, they may soon bolster their rotation with other respected veterans such as Malcolm Brogdon and Al Horford.
Factor in sharpshooter Buddy Hield and promising up-and-comer Brandin Podziemski, and a healthy version of these hypothetical Warriors would make for a compelling seven-man rotation.
The reality remains, however, that the Warriors need their up-and-comers to improve. At least one of Trayce Jackson-Davis or Quinten Post projects to play significant minutes at center, even if Horford is signed, and a case can be made that they’ve not yet reached an ideal level of consistency.
The same can be said for Moses Moody, even if he did post career-best marks in three-point field goals made per game and three-point field goal percentage in 2024-25.
Warriors’ rotation will only be sufficient if up-and-comers improve
For that matter, Podziemski shot just 36.4 percent from the field and 32.8 percent from beyond the arc during the 2025 NBA Playoffs. Until Kuminga is either re-signed or sign-and-traded, his regression as a three-point shooter and potential as a scorer must be factored into future plans, as well.
It may not be the perfect rotation that Warriors fans are dreaming of, but regardless of what transpires with Kuminga, resources are limited and the up-and-comers will be leaned on in 2025-26.
With this in mind, Kerr has only one option left: Empower the younger players to learn from their mistakes and prove whether or not they can reach a higher level of consistency. It may not always yield the most ideal short-term results, but not cutting their minutes will be essential to reaping potential long-term rewards.
It’s certainly not be a strategy the Warriors are accustomed to embracing, but without allowing the up-and-comers to play through their mistakes, a lack of depth will persist and the star trio will be overburdened.
