Golden State Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga has a shot blocked by San Antonio Spurs’ Dominick Barlow at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., Friday, March 31, 2023. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
Lakers center Anthony Davis is lazily nicknamed AD, but that moniker has picked up a new meaning this postseason.
It stands for “alternating days.”
As in, you only get the big man’s best every-other game this postseason.
Saturday was one of those good days. That was bad news for the Warriors.
Yes, LeBron James had a few turn-back-the-clock moments and the Lakers’ role players made 3-pointers, but Davis was the catalyst for the Los Angeles win and the reason for the Lakers’ 2-1 series advantage over the Dubs.
As if it wasn’t obvious enough before the series began, the formula for success in this series for the Warriors is simple: if you stop Davis, you stop the Lakers. So far, not so good for Golden State.
Hey, perhaps Davis will stop himself in Game 4. The pattern says he will.
But hoping for bad games isn’t a strategy, and the Warriors need a better one for defending the Lakers’ All-Star center.
So far in this series, the Warriors have used three different centers on Davis. Only one — Draymond Green — has slowed Davis down, and it’s hard to say that wasn’t self-sabotage.
So heading into Game 4, the Warriors should try a fourth big:
It’s time for Steve Kerr to let Jonathan Kuminga out of the doghouse.
Kevon Looney is a Warriors legend, but this is not his series. His rebounding remains excellent, but the style of these games undercuts much of his effectiveness.
Meanwhile, the Warriors have their own “Alternating Days” in this series: Draymond Green. After a good Game 2, he was a game-worst minus-27 in Game 3, despite him playing most of the contest in foul trouble, which sparked the Lakers to a game-winning second-quarter run and limited Green to 23 minutes of play.
Add in JaMychal Green’s return to earth in Game 3 (2 points, 1-of-5 shooting), and the Warriors find themselves looking for answers at the 5.
I don’t know if Kuminga is the answer, but I do know he fits the bill of a player who could be useful against Davis.
Plus, he’s the only other option the Warriors have.
The Warriors need the rare combination of size and athleticism against Davis.
They’re yet to get it.
Saturday, Davis pushed around Draymond, who gives up nearly half a foot to him. Then he was too athletic for Looney to defend. I’m not sure what JaMychal Green was doing out there on defense, but I know it didn’t work.
Kuminga might be a PNG (persona non grata) leading to DNPs from Kerr this postseason, but the 20-year-old is unquestionably big (6-foot-8, 225 pounds) and athletic (I bet he could touch the top part of the backboard.)
He could work.
After all, the Lakers want to play a big, slow, half-court game. Both James and Davis are gassed after a tough first-round series — you can see it every time the Lakers call timeout.
The Warriors have wisely noted that going small is the best way to play against those two — Draymond Green and Looney’s minutes have been staggered since Game 1.
But tossing Kuminga into the 5 has the potential put the Warriors’ small-ball lineups into hyper-speed.
That’s worth exploring in the first half of Game 4.
Kuminga has been out of the rotation this postseason because the Warriors’ coaching staff does not trust him on either offense or defense. (Ok, it’s mostly on defense.) Add in some behind-closed-doors pouting, and the lack of trust has compounded.
I can appreciate the lesson Kerr is trying to teach Kuminga. It will likely serve the young player well in his NBA career.
But there’s no time for big-picture thinking in the postseason. The Warriors need someone like Kuminga right now.
Let him be an agent of chaos on the floor.
Remember: There were plenty of moments this regular season when Kuminga wasn’t just playable — he was essential to Dubs’ wins. There was an overt refinement to his game in the latter months of the season, too — progress in the right direction.
I was just as shocked by his falling out of the rotation as he was, but if anyone deserves the benefit of the doubt when it comes to decisions like that, it’s Kerr. I know a lot about what’s happening with this team, and because of that, I know I’m not privy to everything.
But at the same time, Kerr isn’t a stubborn coach. It’s not his way or the highway — he’s a collaborator.
And I’m sure members of his staff will suggest giving Kuminga some run at the small-ball five in Game 4.
Now, the Greens can help Kerr out and stop that from happening — if Kerr sticks with JaMychal in the rotation, that is. Draymond needs to up his game and stay out of foul trouble. JaMychal needs to hit the open 3s he gets — that’s why he’s out there.
Yes, Looney can help, too, but what more can you ask of the Colossus?
And it must be noted that Kuminga has looked pretty good in garbage time the last two games. A couple of nice passes, some solid drives, halfway decent defense — we’re grading on the curve, but it’s still a solid grade.
Those minutes haven’t earned him rotation minutes, let’s not go crazy here, but at the same time, I don’t think Kuminga has done anything on the court during those stretches to encapsulate why he’s only playing late in blowouts.
I don’t know if Kuminga has “stayed ready” — Kerr’s favorite message to end-of-bench players — but I know the Warriors can’t be picky after the way Davis has worked them over twice in this series.
This matchup is calling out for a player like Kuminga.
Let’s see him in Game 4.
Originally published at Dieter Kurtenbach