Warriors GM Willing to Explore Eyebrow-Raising Option With Former Lottery Picks

Getty Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga looks on during a preseason game against the Washington Wizards.

Entering the Golden State Warriors‘ Monday bout with the Sacramento Kings, head coach Steve Kerr had promised changes in his rotations. And he could hardly be blamed for wanting to mix things up the club’s recent five-game road trip produced exactly zero wins.

His changes seemingly paid off, too, as the Dubs broke their losing streak with a three-point win over the rival Sacramento Kings. They did get some help from the officials down the stretch but, at this point, a win is a win.

Regardless of the positive result, though, the chances that Kerr will continue to roll with the new rotations for the long term probably lie somewhere between slim and none. Especially with former lottery pick Jonathan Kuminga receiving just nine minutes, while James Wiseman logged a DNP-CD.

On the other hand, Warriors president and GM Bob Myers just indicated that the team may have another plan for getting the blue-chip duo the minutes they so desperately need.

Lottery Picks in the G League? Myers Sounds Off on the Possibility

Myers made his regular appearance on 95.7 The Game‘s Steiny & Guru on Tuesday to talk about the Warriors’ wild season to date. And when the topic of the young Dubs’ development/need for playing time came up, he made it clear that G League assignments are firmly on the table.

For him, there shouldn’t be any stigma attached to players of their draft status spending time in the developmental league.

“I think it’s always an option, I know that in some people’s minds it’s a huge thing to do. I guess I don’t view it the same,” Myers said. “If they go down there and do a couple games and come back, or more, it’s becoming more commonplace.”

The bottom line is that the Warriors’ young players — in particular, Wiseman and Kuminga — need reps to work out their kinks. And those reps may be hard to come by on a Warriors team that needs to put its best foot forward if it hopes to repeat.

“They just need to play; both of them need to play,” Myers added. “If they’re not getting the appropriate minutes with the NBA, that discussion will come up. If it makes sense, we’ll talk to Jama [Mahlalela], we’ll talk to Steve, we’ll talk to the coaching staff and Kenny [Atkinson] and find out of they think that’s the best course, they’re the ones working with these guys every day.

“I do know — on a simple level — if you’re young and you’re not playing… it’s hard to get better.”

Both Players Have Been Net Negatives

After enduring one of the wildest injury sagas we’ve seen in recent years — only teammate Klay Thompson went through worse — there were high hopes that Wiseman could finally strut his stuff in a featured role with the Warriors this season. And while his counting stats have been OK, Wiseman’s net impact has been eye-popping in the worst possible way.

In his 138 minutes on the court this season, the Warriors have been outscored by an incredible 69 points.

Kuminga’s number isn’t any better, despite the fact that he received significant run, including some legitimately important minutes, for Golden State last season. As of this writing, the former No. 7 pick has logged 112 total minutes of action, during which the Dubs were outscored by 59.