Jonathan Kuminga Deserves More Minutes
The team’s trip to Toronto last night, with Curry, Green, Iguodala, Poole, and Porter Jr. sitting, seemed like an inevitable loss. The Raptors were at full strength and they’ve been playing well, with Scottie Barnes and Fred VanVleet having a few nice games down the stretch. So far as most fans were concerned, this second half of the Warriors’ second back-to-back in two weeks was no big deal.
That is, of course, until Jonathan Kuminga had career night.
Kuminga had an efficient scoring night, posting 26 points on 9-for-15 shooting (including 4-for-6 from deep, a spot he’s struggled to hit well so far this season). He also posted two steals, two assists, and a rebound as he had plenty of freedom to operate as the Dubs rested their stars.
There was still plenty to clean up for the 7th overall pick, of course. He had 6 turnovers and missed two of his six shots at the charity stripe, which gives him some room for improvement even after a pretty stellar performance scoring-wise.
He had plenty of his tools on display, mostly using the threat of his drive to get some more open looks. He showed off the athleticism as well, putting Chris Boucher in the rim on a drive only a few minutes into the game. What’s most impressive offensively is that, even though his game is completely unpolished, he has great body control and some impressive finishing skills to add to his leaping ability and explosiveness.
Not only did he look like the most athletic guy on the floor, but he showed off his IQ a little by making some solid reads, including a nice mid drive dump-off to a cutting Kevon Looney for the dunk. Kuminga’s clearly been learning, as we’ve seen the vets like Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala in his ear constantly on the bench and in the huddle.
“It's a great situation” Kuminga told the SF Chronicle’s Connor Letourneau after the game. “I feel like I'm in a great situation because I'm learning every single day."
His impressive performance sets a tone for the rest of the season: In the minutes he’s played so far, Kuminga has shown that he provides above-the-rim pressure that the Dubs really only have from Andrew Wiggins. He’s also shown he can hang on defense, playing disciplined on-ball and active off-ball. He’s already had some signature games, giving players like Lamelo Ball and Domantas Sabonis (two very different positions, mind you) fits on the other end.
It’s pretty obvious the rookie deserves to be more of a rotational mainstay. He’s already improved from the start of the season to now, and while the G-League minutes are valuable, he looks like the best athlete on a court full of NBA players. His decision-making will come, but it’s not something that’s going to cost us games. Playing him over Juan Toscano-Anderson or Damion Lee gives the team a higher defensive ceiling while opening up shooters on offense by forcing paint collapses. He already is that kind of player where teams have to respect his drive.
Whether or not he becomes more of a consistent rotation guy remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure: This kid is gonna be something special. The Warriors have found a unique prospect that can still contribute while having a ton of room to grow. Once again, the front office stays light years ahead of the competition.
(Photo credit: Jacob Kupferman / Getty Images)