Lacob's viral email may nudge Kuminga off the bench

Preview: Warriors have two games against Suns in next three days

Dec 18, 2025

Sometimes, an NBA coach is just running the playbook. Executing a well-established strategy that didn’t require any major tactical adjustments. For coach Steve Kerr and the Golden State Warriors, that dream has long ago dried up in the sun.

Prior to his recent return, Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler hadn’t all played a game together since November 26th. Now, Kerr is signaling that he’s going to prioritize stabilizing a starting unit (adding Moses Moody and Quinten Post to the core three):

“I would love to get some continuity,” Kerr said Tuesday ... “It’s been tough to string together games with everyone healthy and the same starting lineup. So assuming everybody’s available in Phoenix, we’ll start the same way we did last game. I’d like to keep doing that to really build some continuity with the starting lineup and then also with the rotation off the bench… To be honest, it’s been impossible the last couple of weeks,”

What makes Kerr’s comments notable isn’t just the desire for continuity, but how un-Kerr-like they sound. This is a coach who has long preached flow over force, adaptability over rigidity. For years, the Warriors’ greatest strength was their ability to shapeshift on the fly - lineups were chess pieces, not commitments.

But this version of Golden State doesn’t have the luxury of experimentation. The margins are thinner, the roster older, and the dependency on Curry heavier than ever. Continuity, once a byproduct of success, is now being actively manufactured — because without it, the floor drops out entirely.For tonight’s game against the Phoenix Suns, Pat Spencer is out for personal (hopefully good) reasons, and maybe - just maybe - we will see the return of Jonathan Kuminga. So not perfectly stable, but hopefully a sort of unsteady equilibrium.

Continuity is usually a luxury afforded to winning teams. For the Warriors, it has become a survival tactic. When Steve Kerr talks about running it back with a starting lineup he likes, it’s less about comfort and more about clinging to something - anything - that resembles stability in a season defined by fragmentation, absences, and diminishing margins for error.

GAME DETAILS

WHO: Golden State Warriors (13-14) at Phoenix Suns (14-12)

WHEN: Thursday, December 18th, 2025; 6pm PST

WATCH: NBCSBA

Warriors still looking for more answers than just Steph Curry

The Warriors are 4-6 over their last 10 games. More painfully, the two most recent games were both losses, despite getting 39, and then 48 points from Curry. The frustration is palpable throughout Dub Nation, and one fan went straight to the man himself, team owner Joe Lacob. Lacob’s reply is short and to the point; he’s also frustrated - but unlike the rest of us, he’s in the position to do something about it (he’s working on it):

r/warriors - Emailed Joe Lacob — via Reddit user Justdutari

Remarkable.

Frustrated? Same.

But the follow up comments are insightful. Style of play and coach’s desires? Dare we say that the seams might be beginning to split? Or is this simply a case of brutal, curt honesty from an owner that is much of a fan as the rest of us, hoping that Curry can carry this franchise to another big win - whatever that means. Curry’s greatness isn’t lost on anybody, but Lacob may actually be right that no one bears the brunt of the frustration quite as much as he does, so it is encouraging to hear directly from the man himself that this dynamic isn’t just known, it’s being addressed somehow.

On a totally unrelated note, Kerr mentioned Kuminga in his media availability yesterday. Turns out that Kuminga has cleared some sort of internal hurdle and will resume his duties on the court in this upcoming two game stint against the Suns.

“You definitely want to see how guys respond in practice,” Kerr said. “And I can tell you, JK, has been great this last week as he’s been out of the rotation. He’s working really hard, and I’m going to reward that.”

The truth is that Kerr and the Warriors don’t have a perfect answer here. They know that the core three are reasonably viable. Beyond Curry, everything is a bit less important though, and that’s the hard part of the current state here: Curry is playing some of the best basketball of his life.

The brilliance of Curry hasn’t been enough. Golden State’s biggest investments are both supporting cast members that are not known as offensive specialists, and the lack of punch has become a glaring issue. Ideally, some of the upcoming players would fill these gaps - and they have (sometimes). But Golden State can’t rely on sometimes, they need to ensure some minimal consistent excellence.

Pat Spencer has proven to be the best offensive driver recently, but it’s just not good enough. It’s no secret that the Warriors’ entire offensive engine is Stephen Curry, nor should it come as any sort of surprise that Kerr looked in other directions once Kuminga’s minutes proved to be less effective than his alternatives.

“If things aren’t going well, I have to find a different solution, a different combination,” Kerr said. “And I think it’s as simple as that.”

Well, now the alternative path has also proven to be less than viable. The Warriors need more punch. It feels like all parties have moved on, and it’s just a matter of time until that January 15th trade window opens for Kuminga and the Warriors. But in the interim?

It’s getting desperate for Golden State, and maybe it is indeed silly to let Kuminga languish on the bench while the team struggles. Maybe not. But one way or another, the Warriors are going to have to try something different.

That’s the uncomfortable truth the Warriors are circling without quite naming. This season isn’t about finding the perfect solution — it’s about choosing which imperfection they can live with. Trusting Kuminga comes with volatility. Sitting him comes with stagnation. Neither path is clean, but standing still has already proven to be the worst option of all.

For a franchise built on motion, rhythm, and calculated risk, the next move matters less than the willingness to make one. Because as long as Curry keeps playing at this level, the clock isn’t just ticking - it’s demanding an answer.