Draymond Green praised his teammate Jonathan Kuminga for embracing his new role as the sixth man of the team.

The Golden State Warriors dismantled the Houston Rockets to go up 5-1 in the season. The team’s sixth man, Jonathan Kuminga, was instrumental in the win. The effort was highly praised by Draymond Green, who complimented Kuminga for accepting his bench role.

The 22-year-old poured in the majority of the bench points with 23 points, six rebounds, and one assist, which the team was in dire need of. With Stephen Curry sidelined, the Warriors have heavily relied on Buddy Hield and their sixth man for their offense.

Both have risen to the occasion with Jonathan Kuminga having his three best games of the season coming off the bench. In the post-game press conference, Draymond Green heaped praise on the youngster.

I don’t want him [Kuminga] to love coming off the bench, He believes he’s a superstar, I believe he’s a superstar. So as long as you believe you shouldn’t be ok coming off the bench. But how you respond is important. You can respond by sulking, or you can just go do what it is that you can do to help the team win and that’s what he’s doing. Credit to his maturity as well as his play.

Draymond Green on Jonathan Kuminga

Green credited Kuminga’s professionalism and his maturity, citing last season as his reason for growth. The Warrior’s new sixth man has completely balled out in his new bench role. He is currently totaling 56 points since he was moved to the reserves. With the Warriors running thin on depth, Kuminga is likely to resume his starting role.

Several people like Gilbert Arenas have speculated about the team’s decision to bench the 6-feet-7 forward due to contract issues. Earlier in the offseason, Kuminga declined the team’s extension on the grounds of money, reported to be around a $5 million difference.

Steve Kerr is ‘PROUD’ of Jonathan Kuminga’s bench production

Steve Kerr was very vocal following the Warriors win against the Houston Rockets in a 127-121 thriller. Kerr praised Kuminga for his professionalism and his recent production coming off the bench. The Warriors head coach was the one who made the decision to relegate Kuminga to the bench three games ago.

He’s been great, this is the third game in a row he’s come off the bench, these were his three best games, the way he responded to a role change is perfect, that’s what we expect, the professionalism… couldn’t be more proud of JK.

Steve Kerr on Jonathan Kuminga in the post-game presser

Various speculations surrounding Kerr’s relationship with Kuminga have escalated recently. However, the Dubs coach has declined the involvement of any personal agendas in his move. Kerr has simply implemented his decision to improve the spacing around the lineup of Green, Andrew Wiggins and Hield, after Curry went down with an injury.

As of now, Kuminga is reportedly on his expiring rookie deal with the Warriors. The current $24.8 million deal is set to last through the 2024-25 season, making him an unrestricted free agent afterward. Since contract talks fell apart, the front office is not likely to have Kuminga back.