Getty Jonathan Kuminga of the Golden State Warriors.
The Golden State Warriors are in a tricky position. With just a few short weeks left until the playoffs, they can’t seem to get out of their own way. Despite their dominance at home, they have consistently failed to win games on the road, causing them to hover around the .500 mark for the majority of the season.
On Saturday night, they once again failed to deliver on the road. They dropped their game to the Memphis Grizzlies and were never really in the game past the first quarter. Jonathan Kuminga was a bright spot, though, and Draymond Green showed love to the youngster after the game.
“I think his growth has been great,” Green said via the NBA Interviews YouTube channel. “I think he’s right where you’d hope a guy would be at this point in his career. Continuing to grow and get better. Understanding more. Becoming more and more reliable. I think that’s all you can ask for. As far as confidence, you just got to stay the course. Everybody makes mistakes. It’s kind of a carryover. He bobbled the one on the fastbreak. Then he came down, and he bobbled it a couple of plays later. He was like, ‘F***.’ Like, who cares? [He was] playing great. Everyone bobbles the ball. I think, emotionally, that’s always a different hurdle to get over than necessarily play on a court. It usually takes you a little longer to grow emotionally than it does from a skill perspective. And so, you expect him to keep growing there, and I know he will, but you also can appreciate the competitiveness. A guy wanting to do everything right. You can’t knock that, but at the same time, like I told him, you can’t allow it to take you off your square.”
Kuminga scored a team-high 24 points to go along with eight rebounds and three assists. He shot 8-of-16 from the field and 4-of-7 from behind the three-point line.
Steve Kerr Praises Jonathan Kuminga
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr also had some high praise for Kuminga after the game.
“Yeah, JK [Kuminga] was great,” Kerr said via the NBA Interviews YouTube channel. “He played both ends. Knocked down his threes. Rebounded well. That was the biggest thing. That’s the thing that we’re looking for all the time. He had eight rebounds tonight. Three offensive. If he adds that to his game consistently, it’ll change everything for him. And so, we’re gonna stay on him about that. And he’s a young guy, so he’s learning so much every single day, and he’s making strides. So, very happy with his development.”
Stephen Curry Sounds Off on Jonathan Kuminga
On top of that, Stephen Curry also had some kind words to say about Kuminga.
“The biggest thing is just competing on both ends of the floor,” Curry said via the NBA Interviews YouTube channel. “Being decisive. Offensively, the way that they were defending us, he had good looks, and there was no second-guessing shots he was taking, which is great because you got to make them pay for the way they kind of shade on the rest of the side of the court. He has to be aggressive. So, when he’s out there, especially with certain lineups, he’s going to get those shots. You have to be assertive and decisive, and he did that really well. Especially early. [He] gave us a lot of life and energy. And then, the rest of it on defense, and just as energy. He’s just competing. No matter who he’s guarding, being within the structure of our defense, using his athleticism, and trying to do it without fouling, which is even more growth for him. So, to play as much as he did, he made an impact, and it was good for us.”