Jonathan Kuminga out of starting lineup Tuesday

With two starters out with injuries, the Warriors are revamping their starting lineup, and ESPN produced a big graphic that said “BENCHED”

The Golden State Warriors are shaking up their starting lineup three games into the 2024-25 season, and Shams Charania’s announcement about it looks very dramatic.

“Breaking News: BENCHED” is a very dramatic way to report that Jonathan Kuminga will come off the bench for Tuesday’s home game versus the New Orleans Pelicans. The Warriors are missing regular starters Steph Curry and Andrew Wiggins, who have an injured ankle and a sore back, respectively. They’ll start masked man Brandin Podziemski and the recently-extended Moses Moody in their place, but Steve Kerr is also elevating sharpshooter Buddy Hield to the starting lineup in Kuminga’s place.

Kuminga hasn’t started this season, a contract year for him, particularly strongly. He’s averaging eight points per game and he’s shot 1-for-9 from three-point range. But while the headline implies a dramatic change in the Warriors’ feelings about their young star, or some rules violation that got him benched, it’s most likely simply a response to matchups.

New Orleans is a guard-heavy team whose only offensive threat in the frontcourt is Zion Williamson. They have Daniel Theis and Yves Missi at center, neither of whom demands a double-team or even a single-team most of the time. The Pelicans’ backup power foward is 6-foot-5 Javonte Green. In other words, the Warriors don’t need size in this matchup. They need shooting.

That doesn’t mean Kuminga will necessarily be happy with the move, nine months after he said he’d “lost faith” in Steve Kerr giving him consistent playing time. But neither is there a reason to see this move as anything more than a temporary decision. The team also might believe that facing the Pelicans’ shorthanded bench is just what Kuminga needs to get his offense going.

It’s also ironic that even with Kerr giving Moody an opportunity in the starting lineup, along with a second-year guard and a second-year center, the story is still about Kerr benching a young player. He might be worried about losing Draymond Green if he has to start alongside four players 24 years old and younger.

Moody’s doing well so far, averaging 10 points off the bench while hitting two triples per game at a 40% clip. Podziemski hasn’t shot well so far, but he also doesn’t look comfortable playing in his protective mask. Meanwhile, Hield has been on fire, sinking 13 three-pointers already this year on 25 attempts for a tidy 19 points per game.

We’ll see how the new lineup works Tuesday night. If the Warriors lose a second straight, it’s possible that Moody or Hield could be “BENCHED” for Wednesday, and Shams will definitely be on top of it.