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Jonathan Kuminga's Honest Reaction to Getting Benched
Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) holds onto the ball against the New Orleans Pelicans in the first quarter at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Golden State Warriors fans were shocked on Wednesday night when Jonathan Kuminga unexpectedly came off the bench against the New Orleans Pelicans. It was a move that no one saw coming, including Kuminga, but the 22-year-old handled it professionally.

After the Warriors defeated the Pelicans, Kuminga was asked about his new bench role and gave a candid reaction.

"I don't think the role has changed," Kuminga said. "It don't matter. We all still playing out there. It don't really matter. It's just going out there and being a professional and playing as hard as you can. All the minutes you get, no matter if it's two or whatever minutes you get, you just gotta go out there and perform at the highest level no matter what it is. Just perform at the highest level, that's when you get all the minutes you want."

Coming off the bench, Jonathan Kuminga played 27 minutes and put up 16 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal on 50% shooting from the field. While Kuminga put up a decent stat line and played a quality amount of minutes, it's still a very interesting move when considering he's looking for a max contract.

If there's one thing last season showed for the Warriors, it's that all lineups are fluid. Klay Thompson was benched later on in the season for Brandin Podziemski, only to come back into the starting lineup. Just because Kuminga came off the bench against the Pelicans, doesn't mean it's something that could happen all season.

This article first appeared on Golden State Warriors on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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