Warriors' Steve Kerr can't win when it comes to young players

The news that Jonathan Kuminga was being replaced by sharpshooter Buddy Hield in the starting lineup was seen as so dramatic that ESPN commissioned a "BENCHED" graphic for the occasion. Shams Charania thought it was "intriguing," as Kuminga also didn't get a rookie-scale extension from the Warriors this summer.

But Kerr also elevated All-Rookie guard Brandin Podziemski and 22-year-old Moses Moody to the starting lineup with starters Steph Curry and Andrew Wiggins out. Along with second-year center Trayce Jackson-Davis, that's effectively a youth movement for the veteran Warriors. It's very possible Kerr simply wanted more shooting and wing play, especially against a New Orleans Pelicans team that doesn't have many big men.

After the game, Kerr explained that the move was all about "shuffling the lineup," not an indictment of Kuminga.

"I wanted a little more spacing. I knew it would be a JK game. I knew he would play a lot," Kerr told reporters. "This is just about combinations and getting a bit more spacing on the floor to start."

Kuminga may not have been happy, but he ended up playing his best game of the season. In a season-high 28 minutes, Kuminga scored 17 points on 6-for-13 shooting, with two steals and a blocked shot, along with a spectacular reverse dunk on a fast break.

There's reason to be concerned about Kuminga's future in Golden State, especially after a report last season that he had "lost faith" in Kerr after being benched in a loss. But after that incident, Kuminga went on to average more than 30 minutes per game for the next three months.

Kerr has the unenviable task of trying to develop players like Podziemski, Moody and Kuminga while also winning in the twilight years of Steph Curry's career. Last season, Podziemski made the All-Rookie first team, but the narrative that Kerr doesn't trust young players comes up any time one of them loses playing time.

There's a tendency in sports to see any demotion of a young player to mean their team has given up on them, like when the Indianapolis Colts benched quarterback Anthony Richardson this week. Sometimes it's because the young player is struggling, sometimes it's due to matchups, but it's not always catastrophic.

Especially in the NBA, where starters often play fewer minutes than reserves. Kuminga played more minutes than starters Moody and Jackson-Davis. For a team like the Warriors that's light on star talent but regularly uses a 12-man rotation, this will happen regularly. They certainly might deal Kuminga, easily their best trade asset, but it won't be because Kerr brought him off the bench one night in October.