Young forward Jonathan Kuminga has been one of the few bright spots for an otherwise average Golden State Warriors team this season.
That has not always been the case with the 21-year-old forward having found himself in and out of head coach Steve Kerr’s rotation through his first two-plus NBA seasons.
But the third-year player has picked it up big time. An argument can even be made that the former No. 7 pick has been Golden State’s second-most consistent scorer behind the great Stephen Curry.
Kuminga took this to a whole new level in a must-win game against the lowly Memphis Grizzlies Wednesday night. The forward dropped a team-high 26 points on 12-of-17 shooting. He added five rebounds, four assists and two steals without a single turnover. Kuminga’s performance also included some jaw-dropping dunks.
“It gives us a different dimension, just those easy baskets,” Kerr said of Kuminga’s dunks againt Memphis. “But it’s the force he played with tonight. I thought it was maybe the best game I’ve ever seen him play at both ends.”
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Jonathan Kuminga could be catalyst for Golden State Warriors future
Kerr’s comments are intereting in that the four-time NBA champion head coach struggled with handling the Warriors’ two different timelines after they won the 2022 championship.
Golden State’s front office opted to use lottery picks on Kuminga and Moses Moody in the 2021 NBA Draft rather than add more proven talent to the core three. Both have found themselves out of the rotation at times since then. That’s no longer going to be the case with Kuminga moving forward. Kerr made that clear after Wednesday’s win.
“He was playing with intensity defensively, he got deflections, he was guarding the ball. But the way he played downhill — sprinting the floor. He is so fast. He’s electric, and he’s really learning to use it more often and in key times,” Kerr said of Kuminga. “I thought tonight he was just brilliant … It seems to me like the game is really making more sense to him now and slowing down a little bit, and it was really fun to watch Jonathan tonight.”
- Jonathan Kuminga stats (2023-24): 16.4 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 2.1 APG, 53% shooting
Over the course of his past 31 games dating back to January 12, Kuminga is averaging 20.6 PPG to go with 5.4 rebounds on 56% shooting. That includes 41% from three-point range.
This is unlikely to matter too much for Golden State in 2023-24. The team finds itself at 36-32 on the season and as the 10th seed in the Western Conference. A deep playoff run doesn’t seem to be in the cards.
But moving forward, Kuminga’s presence on the Warriors could be big. Klay Thompson is set to become a free agent this summer. There is no guarantee he returns. Despite not really showing any signs of slowing down, Stephen Curry just turned 36.
Even with the Warriors looking to contend as Curry’s career hits its twilight, they need that catalyst for the future. Kuminga has shown he’s capable of being that. Apparently, Kerr agrees.