Getty/Lachlan Cunningham Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors drives to the rim against LeBron James of the LA Lakers.
The absence of Draymond Green sure seems to have negatively impacted the Golden State Warriors on the court. After their torrid start to the season, the team have seen less blowouts, more close games, and several games they let slip away.
Although the team has seen their performance drop, some positives have come out of the situation. The seventh overall pick, Jonathan Kuminga, has come into his own the past couple weeks. After being inserted into the starting lineup back on February 1, Kuminga has scored in double figures for six straight games.
At 6-foot-7, Kuminga has started at power forward, and served as the teams’ backup center when they decide to go small. He has served as Green’s replacement at those positions. Obviously, he is not a playmaker, or defensive glue that Green is, but his athleticism and high motor presents the team with a new dimension they have not really had before.
LeBron James stands at 6-foot-9, so with Kuminga starting, the two matched up by default. It was the rookies first time matched up against James. Head coach Steve Kerr emphasized the plan to throw Kuminga out and get as much experience as he could guarding elite stars.
“Let’s put him on LeBron now, because he’s gonna have to guard LeBron and plenty of other guys in the playoffs who are really, really tough jobs, tough covers. We’re just trying to get him all the experience we can right now.”
After the game, the teenager from Congo talked about his excitement to finally go up against the legend.
“I was just excited to play against the Lakers. Growing up, I used to watch them because of Kobe [Bryant]. Growing up, everyone watched LeBron growing up. Going in there and playing against him, it was super cool.”
Indeed, it was also super cool for us fans to witness another milestone on the court. During the third quarter, LeBron James hit a 3-pointer and surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabber with the most points in both the regular season and postseason combined.
Having played 19 years in the NBA is bound to make some historic milestones. But generational talent are the rare commodities that can break records that are never met to be broken. Kuminga understands the talent that James possesses and points out how he’s hoping to emulate some things as he was matched up against the great.
“I enjoy playing basketball, I love it. Playing against people like that, the day they retire … they’re not gonna be there. So, picking up the little things that he does on the floor and maybe learn from that.”
Steve Kerr Admits Rookie Will Be Part of Rotation in Playoffs
Who would have thought just weeks ago, Kuminga would be so impactful during his rookie year. Coming in the season, it was obvious to see how much untapped talent Kuminga had, but he was still so raw, and seemed to still be finding his footing in the league.
Nowadays, it looks like the game has finally slowed down for the rookie, and he’s starting to figure out when to turn on the accelerator or hit the brakes while he’s on the floor. Since the start of the month, he is averaging 16.7 points, 59% from the field, and five rebounds in six games.
After a win against the Lakers, Kerr praised Kuminga’s development over the past couple weeks, and admitted that the rookie will get minutes in the playoffs.
“His rise this last month has just been brilliant.
I reserve the right to determine the playoff rotation when the playoffs begin…but I would expect him to be a part of it.”
Even opposing coach Frank Vogel took notice of the talent displayed by the rookie, and raved about him after the game.
“I love his talent. I mean, he is very, very impressive. They got a good one. Like, he has really elite athleticism, you can see the skill. You know he’s young and he’s only going to go up.”
As Kuminga gets more games under his belt, it would not be surprising if compliments from opponents and the team start coming more frequently. His improvement on the court can be seen by the naked eye, and the statistics back it up across the board.