Kerr sees plenty of potential in 'elite' Kuminga

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr is sure there is more to come from Jonathan Kuminga after his star turn against the Indiana Pacers.

The Warriors lost 105-111 to the Pacers on Monday, though that was not for the want of trying from Kuminga, who finished with 26 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

Golden State have lost 10 of their past 13 games, and face the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas Day.

Kerr, though, pointed to Kuminga's performance against the Pacers as a positive, and he now wants the 22-year-old to sustain those levels.

"This is the JK we want," Kerr said of Kuminga, who was the number seven pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.

"Spent a lot of time in the paint, took care of the ball. Had a couple [of] really nice passes.

"Found Buddy [Hield] for 3 on a beautiful play and really attacked. So this is a great example of how JK needs to play. I'm really proud of him for coming out, playing that way.

"He's getting better, and it's fun to watch his development.

"He's elite at the rim, he's elite getting fouled, so we want him attacking the rim."

"Stephan Curry echoed Kerr's sentiment, lauding Kuminga's display against Indiana.

"I mean, he was probably the best player out there in the sense of attacking, being decisive," said Curry.

"Anytime you're decisive and aggressive, you live with mistakes.

"But playing in the flow of the offense, taking what the defense gives you, you saw him get into the paint, get a couple extra possessions for us, he knocked down his open 3s, was getting downhill, putting pressure on the rim, doing things that only he can do really on our team.

"We love [an] energetic, confident JK. He can change the game for us like he did, and stringing a couple of those games together will hopefully raise our level of play and give us a chance to win any given night."