Steve Kerr breaks silence on Jonathan Kuminga's fluctuating role amid trade rumors 

Amid his fluctuating role and constant involvement in trade rumors, fourth-year forward Jonathan Kuminga's future with the Golden State Warriors appears murky. Warriors coach Steve Kerr recently fueled trade speculation by critiquing his young players' shot selection. However, according to the veteran coach, he's just trying to "win games."

Kuminga has shifted in and out of Golden State's starting lineup this season, starting in 10 of his first 25 appearances. At times, Kerr has empowered him, while at other moments, he has displayed frustration with the two-way prospect.

Following Saturday's 113-103 road win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, Kerr called out his squad's "young players" for playing selfishly.

"When you have Steph Curry on your team, you pass the ball," Kerr said. "Because (if you) pass it two or three times, the defense is scrambling, all hell breaks loose. So, it's a choice: We can either do that and win games, or we can shoot a whole bunch of 15-foot contested shots in the middle of the shot clock and be a lousy NBA team."

Many theorized that Kerr was referring to Kuminga, with footage going viral of the 6-foot-8 forward attempting contested midrange jumpers during the game.

Ahead of Monday's home matchup against the Indiana Pacers, Kerr confirmed his displeasure with Kuminga's shot selection against Minnesota. However, he noted that his message was directed at his "whole team."

Regarding his rotation changes, Kerr added that he isn't targeting Kuminga, he is just experimenting to find the best possible lineup combinations.

"How many starting lineups have we had? 15? It impacts everybody," Kerr said (Timestamp: 1:39). "I don't singly anybody out. I don't try to manipulate the lineups to help one person over another. I'm trying to manipulate the lineups to win games."

According to Kerr, the Warriors (15-12) have looked better with veteran star forward Draymond Green starting over Jonathan Kuminga. So, they will likely keep Green in the starting five for the foreseeable future.

"So, we put JK in the starting lineup a few weeks ago to see if we could right the ship, and we tried to bring Draymond off the bench, and I didn't love that," Kerr said.

"... When you're losing, you try a lot of different things. ... If we're gonna be a defensive-minded team, which that's our identity, I believe, then Draymond Green should be in the starting lineup."

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Steve Kerr wants Jonathan Kuminga to play to his strengths

During Monday's pregame press conference, Steve Kerr touched on how he would like Jonathan Kuminga to respond to his constructive criticism. Kerr highlighted the importance of Kuminga playing to his strengths as a finisher around the rim rather than settling for difficult jumpers.

"He's elite at the rim, he's elite getting fouled, so we want him attacking the rim, we want him following the help and playing out of the dunker (spot) and getting behind the play more often," Kerr said.

"There is a time and a place for every shot. If it's the middle of the shot clock, that's not a great shot. ... He's one of the few guys who is capable of creating an open look for himself."

Kerr added that Kuminga has "so much potential," and he's "not gonna stop coaching (him)" regardless of the outside noise.

Through 25 outings, Jonathan Kuminga is averaging 15.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.6 blocks and 1.2 3-pointers per game, shooting 43.6%.

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