Golden State’s first-year phenom will take part in the All-Star weekend festivities, but he’s aiming much higher.
For a 19-year-old rookie, one just 12 months removed from his G League debut, Jonathan Kuminga doesn’t lack confidence.
The Warriors forward is earning an increasing role in Golden State’s rotation, attacking each assignment brimming with self-belief. The No. 7 pick in the 2021 draft is averaging 15.3 points per game in February on 60.3% shooting from the field and he enters the All-Star break with eight straight double-digit scoring games. Kuminga has emerged as an integral piece on a championship contender in Draymond Green’s absence, and we could see the rookie log significant minutes in the 2022 playoffs. He isn’t fazed by the proposition.
Kuminga cites a lofty list of career goals. He has hopes of being “at least a three-time MVP [and] four-time Defensive Player of the Year,” making the Hall of Fame and, of course, winning multiple championships. The sentiments are less a concrete plan than a daydream of the possibilities. And, as Kuminga destroys every rim in sight, it’s hard to fault him for aiming high.
“With the hard work I put in every day,” Kunminga says, “I know what I can do.”
Kuminga is establishing himself as the Energizer Bunny of an impressive rookie class. He has tallied 45 dunks in just 24 games this season, more than Anthony Edwards and two fewer than Zach LaVine. Of his field goals, 17.9% of them have been dunks, a higher rate than Zion Williamson last year and Giannis Antetokounmpo in his rookie season. Oh, and last week, Kuminga helped hold LeBron James to 9-of-27 shooting in a nationally televised battle.
Each performance provides a brief window into what could be the future of the Warriors. Kuminga’s explosive athleticism is a rarity for the franchise, even amid nearly a decade of sustained success. The rough edges of Kuminga’s game can and should be ironed out with experience. His size and physicality is provides an outline for stardom.
The Warriors don’t shy away from highlighting Kuminga’s potential. Steve Kerr notes Kuminga’s “high ceiling” as the impetus for the franchise drafting him. Warriors player development coach and former 14-year NBA player Leandro Barbosa compares Kuminga to a “shorter [Giannis] Antetokounmpo.” Klay Thompson says the team’s youngest player has already made an impact on the Warriors, showing an advanced feel for the game to complement his otherworldly athleticism.
“His floor game really [surprised me],” Thompson says. “He’s good around the rim, he’s good in the post, his jump shot is very fluid.”
Kuminga was playing in Santa Cruz with the Warriors’ G-League affiliate earlier this season, with rotation minutes in Golden State anything but a guarantee. The circumstances have changed in recent months. Green’s absence has thrust Kuminga into a pivotal role, and despite some shaky spurts, Kuminga seems to rise to the challenge.
The effort in Golden State’s win over James and the Lakers on Feb. 12 likely served as the highlight of Kuminga’s season. He paired his defensive excellence with 18 points, nine rebounds, three dunks and a ferocious swat of Talen Horton-Tucker, bringing the Chase Center crowd to its feet in a rare playoff atmosphere for a pre-April contest.
Playing with perhaps the two greatest shooters in NBA history creates plenty of open pockets on the floor. Kuminga thrives in these spaces as a cutter and offensive rebounder. He has an innate feel for when defenses are falling asleep along the baseline, and he’s attacking the weak side with a purpose as defenses look to corral Curry slithering his way to the rim. Curry is arguably having the best playmaking year of his career. Kuminga has been a major beneficiary.
The furious finishes are just a segment of Kuminga’s contributions thus far. He’s beginning to hit transition threes and bully guards in the post, and the Kuminga-Curry-Thompson trio sports a plus-8.2 net rating this season in 132 minutes. And while Kuminga may be years away from breaking down defenses a la Green, he is also more than comfortable with the ball in space. The 6' 7" forward has soft hands as a roller. He often collapses defenses with one hard dribble. His vision is advanced for a rookie, and he remains in control as he barrels down the lane in 4-on-3 situations.
Kuminga embraces Golden State’s ball-movement ethos. He says he’s “super comfortable” playing off Curry and Thompson, adding, “I consider myself very good at passing.” His ability to fit into the Warriors’ system is perhaps the most delightful subplot of his rookie season.
Kuminga’s role has grown in recent weeks, largely out of necessity as Green and Andre Iguodala deal with injuries. A full-strength Warriors squad will trot out Green, Igoudala, Andrew Wiggins and Kuminga in the frontcourt, with Kevon Looney, Otto Porter Jr., Nemanja Bjelica and (maybe) James Wiseman likely earning additional minutes. An area on the roster previously bereft of depth is now flush with talent, and Kerr could lean on the team’s wealth of veterans come playoff time. Yet Kuminga’s versatility, especially defensively, could give him an edge over his non-Green peers.
The league has moved toward a player of Kuminga’s skill-set over the last decade. Rookie bigs aren’t bowled over by a stream of 30-something behemoths as they were in the 1990s and 2000s. Effective back-to-the-basket centers are a rarity, allowing teams to downsize with little penalty. The Warriors revolutionized the sport in the last decade in part thanks to such a trend. They’re now reaping the rewards with Kuminga, deploying the type of rangy wing that once gave their stars fits in the postseason.
“The league is generally small now,” Kerr says. “There are a lot of fives who are basically fours who have been moved up to the five spot. So we wouldn’t have him guard Joel Embiid or anything, but with most of the matchups each night, [Kuminga] is perfectly capable of handling that defensively.”
Kuminga was added to the Rising Stars Challenge on Wednesday as a replacement for Indiana guard Chris Duarte after originally being left off the roster. And while the selection does mark the first league accolade of his career, Kuminga has his sights set for far greater things in 2021–22.
He’s currently on pace to be just the third top-seven pick in the last decade to play on a 50-win team as a rookie (joining Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum), and he has a reasonable chance to become the 12th rookie since 2000 to log 300 playoff minutes. We’ll hold off on the comparisons to a young Kawhi Leonard out of respect to the two-time Finals MVP. Though if the Warriors make a run to the Finals, Kuminga’s impact could be looked upon in a similar light.
“I can do everything on the floor,” Kuminga says. “For me, it’s only a matter of time.”
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