Bucks blowout: Giannis has 41, Suns’ NBA Finals lead now 2-1

Jonathan Kuminga has lost faith in Steve Kerr and no longer believes he will reach his full potential playing for him, sources close to Kuminga tell Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Kuminga sat the final 18 minutes of the Golden State Warriors’ loss to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday.

“(Thursday night) was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” one of the sources said.

Kuminga had 16 points, four rebounds and four assists in 19 minutes.

“He was playing great,” Kerr said of Kuminga after the game. “His normal time to go back in would have been around the five-, six-minute mark (of the fourth). (Andrew Wiggins) was playing great, we were rolling, were up 18, 19, whatever it was. So we just stayed with him. Then at that (later) point, it didn’t feel like the right thing to do. He had been sitting for a while. So I stayed with the group that was out there, and obviously, we couldn’t close it out.”

Kuminga was the No. 7 pick in the 2021 draft and has played better this season with a bigger opportunity.

Victor Wembanyama’s busy summer just got a bit less busy. Wembanyama has chosen to opt out of playing for France at the 2023 FIBA World Cup later this summer. The generational prospect is going to use the time to prepare for his rookie season in the NBA and the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

After selecting Wembanyama with the first overall pick at the 2023 NBA Draft, the San Antonio Spurs spoke about his packed summer and the need to manage it appropriately. The 7-foot-4 big man plans to play in some Summer League games for the Spurs, and then he’ll focus on getting ready for his NBA season.

Wembanyama understands there is likely disappointment in his decision to skip the World Cup, but he hopes people will understand his side of things.

“It would not be realistic in terms of development and not prudent in terms of health,” Wembanyama said in announcing his decision to French newspaper L’Equipe. “I hope people will understand. It’s frustrating for me, too. The France team is still central for me. I want to win as many titles as possible with the team. But I think it’s a necessary sacrifice.”