Ever since the Warriors chose Jonathan Kuminga with the No. 7 pick in the 2021 NBA draft, he has been under a microscope, as a player who is both supremely talented and frustratingly inconsistent. Kuminga has shown flashes of exceptional athleticism but has struggled to translate that into night-in-night-0ut success.
Some of that has been injury. Some of that has been opportunity. And there has been ample chatter, early in Kuminga’s career, at least, that some of it has been Kuminga’s iffy work ethic.
Whatever it is, it sure seems that few players on the Warriors roster garner the scrutiny that Kuminga does, with overreactions pouring in equally when he plays well as when he does not. Since he returned from a 31-game absence following an ankle injury back in January, those overreactions have been heightened.
After Thursday’s game against the Lakers, in which Kuminga excelled on both ends, finishing with 18 points, nine rebounds and four assists in 25 minutes off the bench, the Kuminga stock ticker was back on the upswing.
Steph Curry: ‘Let This Guy Play Basketball’
Star guard Stephen Curry, though, said he’d like to ease off the idea of scrutinizing Kuminga’s every move on the floor.
“I think we need to just let this guy play basketball,” Curry said. “We don’t have to have a declaration after every game. We don’t have to be in a situation where we are judging every minute he’s out there.”
Kuminga suffered a pelvic contusion this week against the Spurs and missed the team’s win in Memphis. But he was back for the Lakers game, and was a key element in keeping L.A.’s offensive stars in check.
“Luka (Doncic), LeBron (James), everybody he got on,” big man Draymond Green said. “Austin Reaves at times. He was asking for those matchups. Says a lot, you know, we challenged him in private. We challenged him publicly to step up on the defensive end. And he did that. He was great offensively but he was even better on defense.”
Warriors Have Contract Decision on Jonathan Kuminga
Of course, it is a particularly important season for both Kuminga and the Warriors, because he is in his fourth year and is due a contract extension. While Kuminga’s talent is obvious, he has shown only modest improvement over his NBA career, and is averaging 16.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists this season–essentially the same numbers he posted last year.
Kuminga is also a poor 3-point shooter in a league increasingly focused on long-distance shots. He is shooting 33.6% for his career from the arc, and is at 31.9% this year, a career low.
Under NBA rules, Kuminga will hit restricted free agency this summer, and is likely to seek a deal worth more than $200 million over five years. That’s a lot to pay for his limited production. But in February, Warriors owner Joe Lacob said the team intends to keep him in place.
“Absolutely,” Lacob said. “One hundred percent. Are you kidding me? I love that guy. We love him.”
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