DeMarcus Cousins did not mince his words when talking about Steve Kerr and the Golden State Warriors’ ability to develop young talent. Although the Warriors acquired Jimmy Butler III in February to improve their chances of winning an NBA championship, Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves eliminated the team in the second round of the 2025 playoffs.
Since the Warriors have not been close to winning an NBA title since 2022, many experts believe the championship dynasty is finally over. While several organization members should be held accountable for this loss to the Timberwolves, Cousins believes that Kerr and his coaching staff are most to blame.
DeMarcus Cousins Calls Out Steve Kerr for Use of Jonathan Kuminga
After Stephen Curry suffered a hamstring injury in Game 1, the Warriors never recovered and lost the next four games. While Kerr initially did not give Kuminga much time on the court, the young Warriors star saw an increase in his playing minutes after Curry’s injury.
Although Kuminga proved his value and became the team’s leading scorer in the series against the Timberwolves, Kerr faced much scrutiny for not believing in Kuminga before Curry’s injury. As trade rumors involving Kuminga continue to gain momentum, Cousins pinned the blame on Kerr during a May 20 segment of the “Run It Back” podcast.
“I think they lost Kuminga. I think Steve Kerr ruined their relationship with the DNPs [did not play],” Cousins said.
“We’ve seen this happen time and time again when it comes to him and dealing with young talent. He just doesn’t handle young talent well. He doesn’t develop them. … I mean, out of the years he’s been there, we’ve seen one guy develop under Steve Kerr, and they ran him off as well, and that was Jordan Poole,” he said.
Boogie Cousins on Steve Kerr:
“He just doesn’t handle young talent well. He doesn’t develop young talent…we’ve seen one guy develop under Steve Kerr. The Warriors ran him off, that was Jordan Poole.”@boogiecousins | @MichelleDBeadle | @TeamLou23 | @ChandlerParsons pic.twitter.com/rud8JPZ6Iu
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) May 20, 2025
The former NBA star concluded, “So when it comes to young talent, I just don’t think they handled it well, and I could see Kuminga being on the move.”
Cousins’ claim could have some validity, considering Golden State’s reliance on veteran stars. Although the Warriors won four NBA championships while being coached by Kerr, the fact remains that they kept focusing on an established play style with minimal room to improve young talents such as Kuminga.
Had it not been for Curry’s injury, the Warriors’ fortunes may have been different this postseason. However, the offseason awaits them this summer as Kerr and the team’s front office will have to figure out what is next with Kuminga, who is set to be a restricted free agent at the end of the 2024-25 season.