Getty Jonathan Kuminga, Warriors
Budding Warriors wing Jonathan Kuminga might have hit the NBA headlines in the last few days for the wrong reasons, but as he puts it, he feels a responsibility to the organization and, importantly, to what he calls the Warriors’ “old guys.”
Kuminga, a rookie for the Dubs last year after he was drafted with the No. 7 pick in 2021, averaged 9.3 points and 3.3 rebounds in 70 games (playing 16.9 minutes), figures to play a critical role for the team as it plows into the future, with the base crew of Stephen Curry (age 34), Klay Thompson (32) and Draymond Green (32) aging. That group as accounted for six appearances in the NBA Finals and four championships.
The Warriors see the team eventually transitioning into the hands of Kuminga (19), Jordan Poole (23), James Wiseman (21) and Moses Moody (20). And Kuminga says the group is aware of the responsibility.
“It’s not just us sitting down and talking about it, a lot of people always talk about it,” Kuminga told the Dubs Talk podcast with Dalton Johnson. “I had a couple of talks with all the guys, we spoke about it every time we sit down, we just be thinking about like, what do you think when we are running the team, too? I gotta keep up with the legacy that the older guys left, we gotta keep building on that one, just let the people know that the old guys are gone but there is still the younger guys coming up.”
Did Steve Kerr Handle Kuminga Too Lightly?
There have been questions about Kuminga recently, though. He showed some jaw-dropping ability when given a chance to play, but coach Steve Kerr was reluctant to put him into the action too much as a rookie last year. The Warriors were obviously deep on the wings and Kuminga was a teenager, though he sometimes seemed to bristle at being treated with kid gloves and given limited playing time.
But Kerr was likely influenced by the struggles of center James Wiseman in his rookie year, after he was the No. 2 pick in the 2020 draft.
Last season, Jonathan Kuminga scored 650 PTS in less than 1200 Min. Only two other rookies have accomplished this feat.
They played on the San Diego Clippers and the Cincinnati Royals.
As Warriors insider Monte Poole said on the podcast, “Most coaches have a hard time pushing rookies. I’ve got to think that Steve’s decisions with JK were influenced somewhat by his decisions with James Wiseman the previous year.
“Steve has admitted that he rushed things a little bit, that he sort of put James into the fire and maybe thought it wasn’t fair to James to put him out there at times when maybe he should have been learning instead of playing. I think if you’re Steve Kerr, you think, ‘Maybe I put Wiseman on the fast track before he was ready to be on that track. So, I got Kuminga now and I’m not going to do that with him. I’m going to be more deliberate, I am going to play him on a slower track, get him minutes when they’re right, get him on the floor with the right guys and not just put him out there.’”
SAS: Kuminga ‘Shortchanged’ Warriors With Effort
This week, eyebrows were raised when ESPN talking head Stephen A. Smith noted that there could be another problem with Kuminga: His work ethic has been lacking with the Warriors.
“I’m worried about Kuminga,” Smith said on ESPN’s First Take on Tuesday. “I’m hearing too many things about him off the court in terms of his head. The level of discipline he lacks. You understand?
“Some of the foolishness, I’m not getting in his personal business. I’m not saying nothing like that. I’m talking attitude, I’m not talking actions. I’m saying that attitude, the level of focus, commitment, determination, just putting your head down, doing the work.”