Steph Curry supports Jonathan Kuminga's complaints with Steve Kerr: "He's not wrong"

A recent article from The Athletic detailed that Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga is unhappy with his playing time, and that the young player is "losing faith," in team head coach Steve Kerr (subscription required). The article came the day after Kuminga sat for nearly the entire second half of the team's close loss to the Denver Nuggets.

The report piles on to other bits of team controversy, including Draymond Green's (now ending) indefinite suspension for a pattern of violent in-game options, and the team's relative lack of success so far this season. Golden State is struggling to get itself to .500, 17-18 as of Sunday morning and 10th in the Western Conference.

It all shadows over what could be an interesting offseason with Klay Thompson entering unrestricted free agency in the summer.

The team's de facto leader, Stephen Curry, was asked about Kuminga's comments and had a fairly supportive reaction for Kuminga.

Stephen Curry understands Jonathan Kuminga's frustration with playing time

"I've been there before. It's... He's not wrong in being upset and pissed off. Wanting to play. Probably should have played," Curry said.

After pausing, Curry seemed to indicate an even more supportive statement of Kuminga's absence from the Nuggets loss. "Not probably," he corrected himself, indicating he holds the opinion that Kuminga should be a more stable part of the closing rotation as well.

Curry, though he supports Kuminga's frustration, also gave some indirect advice to the young forward and suggested it's important for him to find a way to express this frustration in his own voice or directly with coach Kerr, rather than through a source, as this seems to have leaked out.

"The ultimate challenge for anybody in this league is to not let the narrative be told for you. And you not being able to address that with your own voice or directly with coach or whatever the case is," Curry said.

Looking objectively at the Warriors lineup data in fourth quarters, it is curious to see him not on the floor. Of five-man lineups that have played 10 minutes or more in the fourth quarter together, Kuminga is a part of each of the four that have produced a positive net rating. He doesn't appear in any of the four that have produced a negative net rating.

Now in his third year, Kuminga is playing more minutes per game than ever before at 22.5 per game, but clearly, still wanting more.