Pregame Net Malfunction Shows Warriors’ Kuminga Problem Still Persists

The Warriors faced an odd start to their contest against the Minnesota Timberwolves last Saturday in the form of a net malfunction. Before tip-off, both teams had to wait for almost a half hour after officials deemed the hoop wasn’t fit for play.

Though such setbacks almost always occur without blame, this time was a bit different. The Timberwolves’ broadcast managed to catch a likely culprit behind the delay: Jonathan Kuminga.

Cameras showed the Warriors forward hanging on the rim before the game and knocking shots away during warmups. Though it was all in good fun, the incident did damage the hoop and caused the net to be replaced multiple times.

That small incident isn’t a huge deal in the grand scheme of things. Officials fixed the rim and the game went off without a hitch. Even so, it does hint at Kuminga’s immaturity and reflects on why the Warriors are having such an issue with the young guard.

Not Living Up to Potential

Kuminga has long been touted as one of the most exciting young players on Golden State. He’s incredibly athletic even by NBA standards, has a great first step, and can explode from the floor to the rim from just about anywhere.

Those attributes have caused many to believe he’d slot into a number two role behind Stephen Curry and help lead the Warriors on another deep playoff run. Unfortunately, while that may be true one day, that plan hasn’t panned out just yet.

Kuminga is averaging 15.5 points a game this year to go along with 4.5 rebounds and 2 assists. Those are solid stats, especially considering he’s had several 20-plus point games as well. Despite that, he’s been bounced all around the lineup.

The Warriors have had Kuminga come off the bench, they’ve had him start, they’ve used him as a role player, and also leaned on him in close games. Those stints often allow him to put up stats, but rarely translate to wins. That’s a big issue.

The Warriors haven’t seen any consistency over the past month. Since starting off strong, they’ve largely floundered and now sit in eighth place in the Western Conference standings. Kuminga is not the only reason for that drop, but his play certainly isn’t helping either.

All Skill, No Discipline

The Warriors have a lot of firepower, but they also have a lot of young talent who isn’t yet adapted to the NBA. Head coach Steve Kerr is aware of that, which is why he called them out after the Timberwolves game for not moving the ball enough.

“When you have Steph Curry on your team, pass the ball,” he said in a post game interview. “Because -- pass it two or three times, the defense is scrambling, all hell breaks loose. So it’s a choice: We can either do that and win games, or we can shoot a whole bunch of 15-foot contested shots in the middle of the shot clock and be a lousy NBA team.”

That sentiment is blunt, but accurate. Even in wins, the team has a big issue with players going for hero ball rather than trying to get a good shot. That then leads to bad plays or turnovers and breaks all offensive rhythm.

There are several players at fault, but none seem to be more at fault than Kuminga.

Better Decisions Needed

Late in the third quarter of the Minnesota game, Kuminga drove past big man Naz Reid and right into Rudy Gobert. Rather than passing the ball off to a wide open Brandin Podziemski on the wing, the forward pulled up for (and bricked) a contested midrange shot over the two bigs.

That type of play is exactly what Kerr is talking about. Not only does it stall the offense, but it takes other people out of the game. What’s worse, is that Kuminga doesn’t seem to be learning from his mistakes.

Kuminga has taken 1.3 mid-range jump shots a game this season. That’s third on the team, only behind Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins. However, unlike those two, he’s only made 25 percent of those shots. In addition, he’s one of just nine players this year to average 13 or more shot attempts with an effective field goal percentage of less than 49 percent.

Looking at those numbers, it’s easy to see why Kerr (and the Warriors) is so frustrated with the fourth-year player. He has a lot of potential, but that doesn’t matter if he can’t make the right decisions.

A Potential Trade Piece

Kuminga has openly spoken about wanting more playing time, but Kerr has been hesitant on that front. That clash, alongside Kerr’s recent comments, is why there has been so much speculation about Kuminga being traded.

Even so, Golden State doesn’t want to part with the athletic forward. They’ve refused to include him in any trade talks, and clearly believe they can develop him over the rest of the season.

At this point it seems the only way they would move him is if he can bring them another superstar to go alongside Curry. With names like Jimmy Butler on the market, it’s possible, but it also depends if Kuminga can be a little less selfish.