The answer behind it! The reason why Kumingga was deprecated!

From the future core of the Warriors' two-way timeline to being removed from rotation at important moments of the season, Kumingga's Bay Area career has experienced many ups and downs.

But the recent low is still somewhat unexpected. In the just-concluded 2023-24 season, Kumingga averaged 16.1 points per game, with a shooting percentage of 52.9%, setting a career high.

However, at the critical moment of the Warriors' season, Kumingga was completely excluded from the rotation, including a 119-124 loss against the Clippers in the last game of the regular season, which eventually led to the Warriors falling into the playoffs, the subsequent playoffs against the Grizzlies, and four games in the seven-game series against the Rockets in the first round.

In the first three and a half months of the start of this season, Kumingga looked very good to continue the hot touch of last season, averaging 16.8 points per game, shooting 45.9% from the field and three-point shooting percentage was a career-high 34.5%. But an ankle sprained in early January left him on the quit until mid-March, and the Warriors had already introduced Butler before the trade deadline and were in a strong rebound stage of 10 wins and 1 losses.

Although he can still perform well from the bench after he recovered from injury, his playing time is obviously not as good as before. For comparison, he played for at least 25 minutes in 21 of his 32 games before his injury, but in his last 17 games after his comeback, only 3 games met this standard.

With the Warriors being eliminated in the semi-finals this season, the reason why Kumingga was excluded from the rotation seems to have gradually been exposed in the revelations of multiple media. According to reporters, Kumingga is used to attacking in singles on the court, which is incompatible with the Warriors' tactical system over the past decade, which gives coach Cole a headache.

Referring to the content mentioned by the reporter, in the Warriors' penultimate game against the Trail Blazers, the Warriors finally won 103-86, and Kumingga scored 10 points on the spot with 2 of 7 shots and 6 of 8 free throws.

Although he won the game on the spot, Cole was angry that Kumingga ignored Curry many times and chose to attack by himself. Although the result of the game was not greatly affected, this game gradually planted the seeds in Cole's heart. Especially after Butler joined and the overall team was running smoother, Kumingga's abandonment was basically confirmed.

In addition, Butler, who replaced Kumingga into the starting lineup, is also a player who is in the mid-range scoring zone, mainly attacking the basket and has a low three-point shooting percentage. The overlap in technical positions makes it difficult for the two to be on the court at the same time.

Especially when Kumingga gradually needed a lot of ball rights to play, this part undoubtedly increased Coach Cole's doubts.

Although this adjustment may be a bit unexpected considering his hot performance before his injury, looking back at his career with the Warriors, it is actually not surprising. The reporter revealed that although the team's senior management is full of expectations for Kumingga's future, he has never been able to fully gain the trust of the coach.

This is particularly obvious in the first round series against the Rockets. Even though the Warriors urgently needed offensive firepower in the same round of the series, Kerr still chose to press Kumingga on the bench. However, in the second round of the series against the Timberwolves, Kumingga re-entered the rotation and averaged 24.3 points per game in five games, shooting 55.4% from the field and 38.9% from three-point shooting, including 30 points in a single game in the second game. However, all this happened without Curry, and it ultimately did not have much key impact on the results of the game.

This also makes Kumingga's future full of uncertainty. He performed well in the playoffs against opponents with extremely high defensive intensity and also showed the potential to stand up at critical moments, but the coach does not seem to think he is suitable to play with several star teammates over thirty years old.

He may not be the key puzzle in the Warriors' current championship plan, but if the team chooses to rebuild in the future, he may still be able to achieve his value. Given that he will become a restricted free agent this summer and may require a contract with an annual salary of more than 20 million, the Warriors will have to make a choice about his future in the near future.