Jonathan Kuminga Looks Primed to Break Out — And to Prove the Doubters Wrong
San Francisco, CA (PSF) — Jonathan Kuminga is silencing the doubters from last season.
Kuminga had an up-and-down year during the Warriors’ tumultuous 2022-2023 season. His minutes per game went up, but it never felt like his playing time was consistent, and it wasn’t. Although his playing time was inconsistent, he improved in a handful of statistical categories such as:
FG %: 52.5% (+ 1.2%)
3 point %: 37% (+ 3.4%)
Assists: 1.9 (+ 1.0)
On the surface, it looks like he improved vastly. But one of the many reasons for his struggles seemed to be his increased responsibility coming off a title year.
With Otto Porter and Nemanja Bjelica gone, Kuminga was asked to fill a more prominent role, a hybrid role between those two. He was to make smart cuts to the basket, shoot the corner three, and check the other team’s best wing scorer a few times per game. But as a young wing who was still harnessing his raw talents, the growing pains showed.
He became a borderline defensive liability, a disappointing development, especially with his gifted athletic tools. His defensive rating jumped from 107.8 to 114.8. He had a postive +/—his rookie year, but had a —53 +/— last year. He was turning the ball over too much and trying to outperform the role he was asked to do, which led to mental mistakes. It seemed like his role was too big for what he was capable.
Fans quickly targeted him for criticism. Some fans called for him to be traded. How he was going to look entering the 2023-2024 season was a mystery.
But that mystery may be solved. Jonathan Kuminga looks like he has taken “the leap”.
On a seasoned, experienced team built and shooting and ball movement, Jonathan Kuminga sticks out like a sore thumb.
But the way that he sticks out is positive, and a breath of fresh air.
How many players on the Warriors are doing this?
Obviously, preseason is preseason. But the stakes are no different from the likes of Spring Training for the MLB, or the preseason for the NFL, where stars emerge and many players make a name for themselves and kickstart their career, or display improvements.
And Kuminga looks like a vastly improved, more complete player.
Kuminga is leading the NBA in points per game this preseason, averaging 25 a game. Overall, in 25.4 minutes per game, he holds averages of 25 ppg / 5.5 rpg / 3.5 apg / 1 spg / 1 bpg on 65.4%/53.8%/75% shooting splits.
He has been impressive with the ball in his hands. His burst off the dribble is lighting quick.
Take a look at these highlights from the Warriors’ first preseason game. In the first clip, Kuminga immediately attacks off the dribble, flying around a Dario Saric screen and finishing over Anthony Davis, one of the best paint defenders in the league, with his off hand. Not many on the Warriors are doing that.
In another clip, at around the 36 second mark, Kuminga posts up Taurean Prince and displays some smooth footwork in the post, getting an and-1 on a turnaround post hook.
Plays like this highlight Kuminga’s increased poise. Last year, it was not uncommon for Kuminga to get the ball and wildly drive, which led to contested shots at the rim or turnovers. It is good to see him taking his time, letting the defense develop in front of him, and using his ball-handling ability to create plays for himself. These are very promising flashes.
Another promising sign is his awareness of his role and what the coaching staff is asking him to do. He knows what to focus on and work on, and is having his coaches guide him to improvement. For a player prone to trying to play hero-ball earlier in his career, this is a massive development in his growth as a basketball player.
He is one of, if not the most athletic players on a team with a lack of size and athleticism in the paint. In smaller lineups with Kuminga, he will be asked to crash the boards on both ends and be physical in the paint without fouling. He had 8 rebounds in game one of the preaseason, and only 3 in game two. In addition to his focus on rebounding, his threat as a finisher at the rim and potential to drive and kick make him a threat. His paint presence was clear on Friday night and his athleticism will be key to this.
Warriors Forward Jonathan Kuminga Dunks Andrew D. Bernstein (NBAE via Getty Images)
Kuminga’s decision making and necessity to slow down and feel the game need some work still. He has 8 turnovers in two preseason games. However, the Warriors can live with a few turnovers per game if Kuminga is filling his role, playing good defense, and hitting a few threes.
Kuminga is also just 21 years old. He’s younger than me. Crazy! He has many years to grow and work on mental mistakes like the turnovers.
What has been arguably the most impressive aspect of Kuminga’s emergence this preseason has been his shooting.
He hasn’t been afraid to fire away from behind the arc. He has taken 13 threes and made 7 of them. Those numbers ooze confidence and show that he has worked on making that a strength of his game, not a glaring weakness like many scouts said it would be. After all, he shot just 24.6% from three on 5 attempts per game for the G-League Ignite, the season before getting drafted. The improvement is clear, and is telling of his work ethic.
Kuminga said he was going to work hard on his craft this offseason. Excitingly, the preseason results are reflective of the work he put in this offseason. Everything seems to have improved, whether it’s his shooting or rebounding, his ability to create off the dribble or find the open man, or even his free throw shooting. The work seems to have paid off.
After much speculation, uncertainty, and pure wishing for Jonathan Kuminga, the Warriors’ 2021 #7 overall pick, to blossom into a star, it looks like this year could be the year where the hopes come to fruition.
And it looks like Jonathan Kuminga has officially arrived.
