Getty Jonathan Kuminga #00 of the Golden State Warriors.
The Golden State Warriors have been unable to find any sort of consistent rhythm this season. Whenever they go on a winning streak, they follow it up with a devastating losing streak. They’ve fallen into the same trap as of late, having lost three games in a row.
On Saturday night, they dropped their game against the Memphis Grizzlies. The majority of the team struggled, but Jonathan Kuminga played particularly well. After the game, Stephen Curry showed love to the young star, praising his play.
“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.”
Kuminga led the Warriors in scoring against the Grizzlies on a night when no one could get things going. He finished the game with 24 points, eight rebounds, and three assists on 8-of-16 shooting from the field and 4-of-7 shooting from behind the three-point line.
Steve Kerr Shows Love to Jonathan Kuminga
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr also had some words for Kuminga, praising his play on both ends of the court.
“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 Discusses How He Felt
In addition, Curry spoke about how he felt throughout the game, discussing Grizzlies guard Dillon Brooks’ defense in the process.
“I felt fine. I think there’s never an excuse for anything in terms of how you play,” Curry said via the NBA Interviews YouTube channel. “When you suit up, you expect to play great. So, physically, it was fine. Mentally, it felt like we locked in. We missed some shots, which happens. The way that they guard us, it’s putting a lot of pressure. Dillon does that a lot. Ninety-four feet, knowing he has a lot of size behind him, and it’s part of their game plan. So, whether you get up the normal amount of shots you do or not, you still just try to pick and choose your spots. A couple more go down, maybe things change a little bit. But was overall pretty- obviously, we lost, so I don’t really feel like talking about anything other than just, physically, I felt great.”