Despite only a handful of regular season games remaining, the Wild Wild West is still wide open. Apart from the top-seeded Thunder, who are miles ahead of everyone else, teams two through eight are separated by only seven wins. Amid the heated playoff race, Bay Aera veteran Mark Willard has immense faith in the Warriors, “The Warriors are the most emotionally stable team out of the whole group [in the West] right now.”

Well, the logic behind Mark’s claim is that most top teams are dealing with distracting issues either on or off the court, “Memphis just fired their coach and nobody knows why. Minnesota got into a huge brawl last night. The Clippers are so committed to load management, I can’t believe they sat Kawhi last night. LeBron is over here seemingly more worried about his media beefs on a nightly basis than winning basketball games…” Meanwhile, the Warriors have played like a cohesive unit since Jimmy Butler’s arrival.

“Everybody just loves each other.” Willard remarked, revealing the team’s locker room atmosphere. Following the Butler trade, the Bay Area team has jumped to the sixth seed and looked like legitimate contenders. Although everything seems like sunshine and rainbows in the Warriors’ camp, that might not be the case. The problem—Jonathan Kuminga and Jimmy Butler’s chemistry!

Media veteran Dalton Johnson addressed the issue, “It’s not working right now with Kuminga and Jimmy Butler. It’s like making two mid-season trades, bringing back JK… The eye test and the advanced numbers both show it’s not working between the two of them.”

Well, Butler and Kuminga haven’t gotten much time on the court together because during Jimmy’s first month with the Warriors, JK was out with an ankle injury. When he returned from the lengthy hiatus, Jimmy had already gotten accustomed to a certain playing style with Stephen Curry and Co. Now, it looks like Kuminga is having issues fitting in. Even Steve Kerr thinks so!

Steve Kerr makes concerning Jonathan Kuminga confession about playing with Jimmy Butler

When Kuminga was nearing his return, Kerr claimed that Butler was the perfect guy for the young forward to emulate. “What makes Jimmy special is that he doesn’t try to be special. He just plays fundamental basketball… he never turns it over—he just makes a simple play over and over again. And I want JK to learn some of that.” The head coach remarked. Well, JK has done a solid job individually, as he has been a key part of the team’s offense.

However, the forward has been unable to stay as productive with Butler on the court. When Kerr was asked about the chemistry issues between the two stars, he said, “Jimmy is one of the best iso players in the league. So, if you’re gonna run iso offense, you need spacing and you need proper cutting, proper movement. Jimmy just got here obviously a month ago or so. We’re still adapting to our spacing within those isos. It requires us to put the right combinations out there and to teach the guys kind of where to be and how to make the next play and JK is still adapting to that a little bit.”

The numbers don’t lie—since Jonathan Kuminga’s return against the Kings on March 13, the Warriors have struggled with him on the floor. His net rating sits at a rough -36 overall, averaging -4 per game. Meanwhile, Jimmy Butler has been a clear positive impact, posting a +47 total and an average of +5.2 per game.

There’s no doubt Kuminga is an exceptional talent with sky-high potential, but with the playoffs looming, the Warriors need veteran stability. Butler’s experience and impact are undeniable, but the team still has to figure out how to mesh his playstyle with their offensive system. If they don’t, it could spell trouble when the stakes are at their highest.

Yes, Butler has been so successful with Steph because of their different playing styles. With Curry attracting multiple defenders and spreading the floor with his lethal shooting ability, Jimmy gets ample space to work his way inside the paint.

Unfortunately, that’s not the case with Kuminga because he is also an interior player. So, it might be more of a fit problem than a talent problem. With the playoffs looming closer, the Warriors need to figure out a solution to this problem soon because they will need both Jimmy and Kuminga in top form to make a deep postseason run. Do you think they can do it?