“The puzzle has to fit.” After Jonathan Kuminga received back-to-back DNPs against the Clippers and Grizzlies, Steve Kerr revealed that it was more of a fit problem than a talent issue. While JK was injured during the regular season, Kerr found the perfect winning formula with Jimmy Butler and did not want to mess with it. Because Jimmy and Kuminga play the same position, the young forward turned into somewhat of an outcast even after his return from injury—until last night!

When the game began, Kuminga was once again not a part of the starting lineup. Everyone expected him to watch the entire encounter from the bench like he did in Sunday’s Game 1. Then, tragedy struck. Jimmy Butler took a nasty fall after a mid-air collision with Amen Thompson and was forced to leave the floor in the first quarter. Reports revealed that he was done for the night, diagnosed with a pelvic contusion. And just like that, Kuminga was back in the picture.

Following three straight DNPs, Kerr had no option but to call the young forward’s number to replace Jimmy. As expected, Kuminga looked rusty, not having played since April 11. He shot 4 of 12 from the field and finished with only 11 points.

After the game, Stephen Curry reflected on the youngster’s performance, “I thought he played aggressive. I know he probably wants to play better and you know knock the rust off. But as soon as Jimmy went down, I actually saw him on the bench and gave him a little love and knew he was gonna get his number called pretty quickly. And that is the nature of this league.”

Yes, there is no telling when a player’s number will be called in this next man-up league. And you have gotta stay ready for the moment because that might be the only moment you get, especially in the playoffs. With Jimmy’s availability uncertain for the rest of the series, Steph knows that Kuminga’s role could increase drastically. So, he had clear instructions for the forward, “I think whether Jimmy is out there or not, it feels like it could swing a different way. So, that’s the challenge and it’s always been for him to see the picture, understand the intensity that’s out there, try to be in the right spots defensively and then he has opportunities to be aggressive on the offensive end, take them.”

Hoping to instill more confidence in JK, Steph highlighted the team’s trust in him, “We trust him when he has the ball in his hands, however many minutes he’s out there and be ready to play.” Surprisingly, Dub Nation did not seem very fond of that idea.

NBA World questions Jonathan Kuminga’s basketball IQ after Game 2

While Steph motivated Kuminga with his words, Steve Kerr addressed the possibility of JK being Butler’s natural replacement if he misses time due to injury. “Yeah, we’ll see how it all plays out. I mean, if Jimmy’s out we have to rethink everything like rotations and who starts, and the best combinations and all that stuff.” He remarked. But fans seemingly were not pleased with what they saw from JK during his 26 minutes on the court.

Seeing the forward struggle to fill Butler’s shoes, veteran insider Kevin O’Connor tweeted, “Jonathan Kuminga is doing an excellent job showing why Steve Kerr benched him.” Turns out, several netizens agreed as comments like “A little visual confirmation never hurt anyone” and “The guy is just not good, no matter how bad people want him to be. He literally does nothing well” began flooding in.

Last season, Kuminga took a massive leap and upped his averages to 16.1 points and nearly five rebounds. Sure enough, he was instantly deemed the Warriors’ next big superstar and maybe even the future face of the franchise. But the forward was unable to elevate his play this year, maybe because of injuries or the massive roster revamp. And many believe he is just not good enough to make an impact in the playoffs. One claimed, “He has low basketball IQ & only wants to score. He needs to do all of the little things to help the team win.” Well, judging him based on last night’s performance might be a bit unfair because Kuminga was clearly rusty, and you can’t just expect a player to get into playoff intensity after three straight DNPs.

However, netizens didn’t seem to care as they even began urging the Warriors to trade him. “Ship him out ship him out and ship him out” and “We should have package him and others for JB instead of Wiggins” the fans wrote. While the Warriors had several chances to do so, Mike Dunleavy was adamant on keeping the young core intact, which is why he held on to Kuminga. Now, the Warriors have no option but to rely on him, at least for this playoff run. So, instead of criticizing him, Dub Nation might be better off motivating the forward because if Jimmy is unable to suit up, Kuminga’s performance could be the deciding factor in this series. Do you think he can step up to the challenge?