Last year, the Warriors tried to make the playoffs with Stephen Curry at their core while trying to develop James Wiseman, the No. 2 overall pick in 2020. However, this year the Warriors have a clear goal — a championship, and that reduces the number of players on the team. There’s room for young players, unless those young players have proven they have enough leverage to win the playoffs.
But Jonathan Kuminga seems to be gradually proving that he has that ability.
Kuminga, who was selected by the Golden State Warriors with the seventh overall pick in July last year, rejected offers from universities such as Duke and Kentucky after graduating from high school, and went directly to the Development League.
In the Warriors’ 138-96 victory over the Bulls, he scored 25 points in 25 minutes on 10-for-12 shooting, including 2-for-4 from 3-point range.
Even after Klay Thompson’s return, Kuminga is still getting consistent minutes and has scored in double figures for four straight games (as of Jan. 18), a sign that Warriors head coach Steve Kerr believes in him more and more.
Maybe “monster player” is overused, but Kuminga definitely deserves the title, and he can often blast the rim like a cannon. You can already imagine him guarding those first-tier perimeter scorers in the playoffs, integrating into the Warriors’ defense with Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins, like a young Andre Iguodala.
Kuminga took every opportunity to extend his minutes, showing his ability to create offense.
“He’s a good athlete, he’s able to play and contribute, he’s quick and strong,” Wiggins said after the game.
Kuminga has excellent physical condition, keen game instinct and basketball intelligence, not like an NBA player under the age of 20 at all.
Kuminga can score and pass. And he can put the ball in the rim as he pleases, thanks to the Golden State Warriors’ system and Curry’s strong appeal.
In the first offense in the video below, the Warriors assign Kuminga to hold the ball high and Curry to screen. When two defenders stay next to Curry due to unclear defensive explanations, Kuminga will not hesitate to shoot for points. .
In the second wave, Curry drew two defenders, and Kuminga needed just a little space to get past the opposing defender and drive to the layup.
In the video below, Curry once again sets the screen for Kuminga, but this time it doesn’t quite attract two defenders. However, Kuminga still has the ability to put the ball in the rim against the defenders.
Now that we’ve seen Kuminga finish around the rim and mid-range, it’s up to the 3-point line.
While Kuminga’s 3-point shooting is poor on a small sample, he definitely has a chance to make it when the open space comes out. Just give him a few more offseasons to practice and he’ll definitely be able to use the 3-pointer as a weapon.
In the next wave of offense, Kuminga’s excellent sense of court space was shown. When Kuminga saw that the penalty area was unguarded, he immediately went to a false screen to bring the defender to the top of the arc, and then slipped to the basket without hesitation to receive the pass. Ball and dunk for points.
That’s the “read and react” offensive system the Warriors have built, and in the past, it has left many players unable to adapt, but Kuminga seems to have integrated into the system, and he clearly has above-level IQ and court awareness.
Want to see more of Kuminga in action? As shown in the video below, he initially sets up a screen on Jordan Poole’s right side, but when the right side is free, he quickly switches the screen to take the defender to the left, then quickly slides from the right to the penalty area, and finally assists with an assist End the round nicely for the teammate who is following on the other side.