Warriors Coach Steve Kerr Removes Jonathan Kuminga From Starting Lineup

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr announced lineup changes before Wednesday’s game at San Antonio and unveiled a starting five that didn’t include Jonathan Kuminga, according to Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle.

Jonathan Kuminga Removed From Starting Lineup Amid 6-6 Start

Kuminga had started the first 12 games of the campaign after making just 10 starts all of last season, and Kerr said a couple of weeks back that he had earned a full-time starting role.

“He’ll be our starter going forward,” Kerr said before Golden State’s 98-79 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Oct. 28. “He’s been fantastic. Last night we put him on Ja [Morant]. Tonight we’ll put him on James Harden. I think he’s ready.”

Starting 5 pic.twitter.com/PREPzNOFG2

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) November 13, 2025

However, Golden State’s recent struggles changed Kerr’s mind, as the team had dropped five of its last seven and was on a six-game road losing streak before defeating the Spurs on Wednesday.

The Warriors have four more games left on their current trip, with a rematch in San Antonio on Friday followed by stops in New Orleans, Orlando, and Miami.

“It’s very clear that we’ve been a little clunky recently,” Kerr said during his pregame press conference. “I obviously watch everything and look at all the lineup data. … There’s times in the season where it’s obvious you’ve got to make some changes.”

The Dubs improved to 7-6 in Kuminga’s first game this season as a reserve.

Warriors Coach Steve Kerr Replaced Kuminga With Will Richard

Kerr replaced Kuminga with rookie shooting guard Will Richard, who joined a starting lineup that also featured Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler, and Moses Moody.

It was the second career start for Richard, who had made 10 appearances coming into tonight and was averaging 10 points per game while shooting 58.6% from the field and 43.8% from 3-point territory.

Steve Kerr on second round rookie Will Richard climbing the Warriors rotation.

“Early on in camp, you could see he really knew how to play. He’s constantly making the right cut, the right pass, he’s solid… He’s going to contribute quite a bit for us this year.” pic.twitter.com/5uRgrBRigF

— Kenzo Fukuda (@kenzofuku) November 10, 2025

Green spoke out about “personal agendas” following Tuesday’s 24-point loss in Oklahoma City and suggested that not everyone with the team is committed to winning.

While Green didn’t call any player out in particular, his comment may have been about Kuminga, whose summer-long contract standoff with the Warriors included a desire for an increased salary and more consistent playing time.

Last month, Kuminga finally signed a two-year, $48.5 million deal with the team. His contract includes a team option in the second year that is designed for either Golden State or another team if he’s traded.

Perhaps the Warriors will decide to keep Kuminga, as the former first-rounder has averaged 13.8 points and career highs of 6.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 27.7 minutes through 13 appearances.

His free throw shooting percentage (77.1%) is also a career best.