Story by
"The Warriors are broken!" - Kendrick Perkins slams Kerr and the Warriors, urges to play Kuminga
- Story by
- "The Warriors are broken!" - Kendrick Perkins slams Kerr and the Warriors, urges to play Kuminga
The 2025-26 season for the Golden State Warriors has been a lot like "Groundhog Day" with the same ills dooming them in every other game. On Sunday, despite holding a solid 120-113 lead over the Toronto Raptors with under two minutes left, they couldn't hold on and lost 141-127, with Raptors forward Scottie Barnes imposing his will on the boards, grabbing a whopping 25 rebounds, nine coming on the offensive glass.
Apparently disgusted by what he saw from the once-proud Warriors, former NBA champion and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins lamented head coach Steve Kerr's failure to make adjustments. He expressed that one tweak to the rotation in particular could help the Dubs get back on its feet: give minutes to Jonathan Kuminga .
Advertisement
The Warriors are broken
Just when the Warriors thought they had something going after winning three games in a row to get themselves over the .500 mark, they again fell flat on their faces at the Scotiabank Arena.
Despite another superhuman effort from megastar Stephen Curry , who had 39 points, the Warriors couldn't capitalize, felled by their inability to handle the defensive pressure in the backcourt and to box out Barnes, who had six rebounds in overtime while the Warriors had none.
Advertisement
Perkins was irate on X, declaring that the Warriors are "broken," especially with Kerr continuing to lean on an aging lineup that is bereft of physicality and athleticism.
"The Warriors are broken!!!! One day Steve Kerr is going to realize that you need size and athleticism "Kuminga" to compete against the good teams in the League," Perk stressed on the social media platform.
The Kuminga saga in the Bay Area has been both intriguing and disappointing. Signed to a two-year deal that pays him $24 million per season, Kerr has dropped the 6'7" forward from the rotation. Over the last eight games, Kuminga has played a total of nine minutes and 31 seconds and has received four straight DNP designations.
Advertisement
While Curry has remained supportive of his teammate, urging him not to lose his spirit during this turbulent time in his career, pundits like Chandler Parsons and Marc Spears are convinced his time with the Warriors is done .
Kerr insisted on going with his small-ball five
With the Raptors using a quintet that essentially had Barnes as the only big on the floor, Kerr decided to fight fire with fire and thought it was best to match up with guards and wings. That tactic would have worked to perfection five years ago, when versatile power forward Draymond Green was in his prime and able to neutralize players at any position. However, with Dray now already 35, playing in his 14th season, he is clearly a shell of his former self, and the strategy blew up in the Warriors' faces.
Advertisement
"Well, you know, Barnes obviously just dominated the boards. And whether we were big or small, it just seemed like he was getting every rebound. So, yeah, he was great," Kerr relayed after the match.
Asked if he thought about adjusting the lineup with Barnes' impressive performance down low, Kerr responded that he went with his gut and kept his small-ball five on the floor.
"You know, Al was done with his minutes. He was on a minutes restriction and, I mean, we thought briefly about Quinton, but I felt better starting the way we did," Steve said.
Advertisement
Things don't get any better for the Warriors as they fly to Brooklyn to play the Nets on the second night of a back-to-back. Kerr and the Warriors have plenty of soul-searching to do and not enough time to do it.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Dec 29, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
