Kuminga Shows Defensive Potential Against DeRozan, Bulls

The Warriors put on a clinical victory against the Bulls last night, winning by 27 after blowing the third quarter wide open. They put up 35 points and held Chicago to just 17 as they put the game out of reach, allowing for their rookies and less-experienced rotation guys to get some minutes into the fourth quarter. One of those guys was #7 overall pick in this year’s draft, Jonathan Kuminga.

Kuminga turned in some excellent minutes on defense last night after biting on a pumpfake from DeMar DeRozan early on. After receiving that foul, he played with a lot of effort and IQ. He had a few dunks and nice drives on the other end, but it was this effort that garnered the attention not just of fans, but also of coaching staff and teammates.

Steve Kerr talked postgame about Kuminga’s progress through practices, especially after he missed a large part of training camp due to his preseason injuries. “He’s really earned the minutes he’s getting” Kerr said when asked about his increased role. “His attitude, his approach over the last week… He was swimming up stream a little bit, and over the last week he’s made huge strides.”

The rook was able to show off a lot of potential that he was drafted for, and was a +7 in 15 minutes against the Bulls (most of those minutes coming in the 4th). He took shifts on both DeRozan and Zach LaVine, keeping up with their athleticism on most every play and altering shots both around the rim and the outside. He also made some great passes, went 4/6 from the field for 8 points, and overall just had a good impact on the floor.

Kerr’s indications were that Kuminga would be getting more minutes as a contributor as well as for development. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to see him play a lot of game-ending minutes when the Warriors go up by a 15-20 point margin in the 4th, which they’ve done in their victories this season. He should get plenty of run and preparation for NBA basketball with this team, especially when Klay Thompson returns and the margins of victory get larger.

(Photo credit: NBAE / Getty Images)