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Kendrick Perkins calls out Warriors’ Steve Kerr for failing young talent

Originally posted on NBA on ClutchPoints
By Preston Byers | Last updated Jul 26, 2025 1:56 PM ET

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has been criticized plenty for his handling of Jonathan Kuminga, but Kendrick Perkins thinks Kerr has a problem with most young players in general.

Kerr, the second-longest tenured coach in the NBA, has won four championships with the Warriors. All of the titles came with the same core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, with valuable pieces around them at different points, the most notable of which being Kevin Durant, arguably Golden State’s best player during their back-to-back run in 2017 and 2018.

However, the Warriors have largely struggled to develop the next generation of players to extend the team’s championship window. Despite the excitement, James Wiseman never panned out. Jordan Poole, while very good at his best, proved to be erratic on the court and evidently a source of Green’s frustration off of it. Others — Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski, and Jonathan Kuminga — have generated mixed and polarizing results.

Much of the blame for that is generally placed at the feet of Kerr, and that’s what Perkins, an ESPN NBA commentator, is doing too.

“Steve Kerr, in my opinion, has a hard time of letting young guys be great. Right?” Perkins said on the ‘Road Trippin’ podcast during a conversation about Kuminga. “The only person that I’ve seen him wrap his arms around as a young guy is Podziemski. And Podziemski is going to have a long career as a role player. But when it comes down to guys elevating, and you see a guy that has the potential to be a franchise guy, Steve Kerr is holding these guys back. Why?”

The difference in Kerr’s purported attitude toward Podziemski and Kuminga, in particular, has been the subject of attention for the last two years. While each has shown promise, as well as clear flaws, at different times, Podziemski’s playing time has generally remained consistent, while Kuminga’s has been notoriously all over the place.

The continued conversation around Kuminga has only heated up recently, as he is a restricted free agent and still unsigned. He could theoretically sign an offer sheet elsewhere (although spots are becoming increasingly limited now), but the Warriors would still have the ability to match and retain Kuminga. The 22-year-old could also choose to sign the $7.9 million qualifying offer the Warriors extended, play out this coming season with Golden State, and then become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

If he plans to work with the Warriors a little bit, Kuminga could also be used in a sign-and-trade, or, in the seemingly most unlikely scenario, he could sign an extension with the Warriors.

Kuminga has until Oct. 1 to accept the qualifying offer.

This article first appeared on NBA on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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