Warriors May Have Found Unlikely Success in Jonathan Kuminga

In the darkest times, it’s often some of the most unlikely players who rise to the occasion. Or, in the case of the Warriors, a springy 7th overall pick.

(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Golden State has been floundering as of late. Despite their white-hot start, they recently lost five in a row during their worst stretch of the year. That struggle led to many questions about the rotation, the longevity of their star players, as well as what they could do to fix their losing ways.

Facing such questions, the Warriors hosted a strong Rockets team surging near the top of the Western Conference standings. Based on previous games, it seemed like it would not end well for Golden State. However, the Warriors came out on top. And they did it in an unlikely way.

Golden State leans heavily on their deep bench, strong star play, and well-rounded roster to win games. Everyone contributes, and many players see the floor. However, when things aren’t going well, sometimes somebody has to step up and take the reins. That somebody has been Jonathan Kuminga.

A Strong, but Flawed, Prospect

Kuminga has been a strong spark plug ever since the Warriors took him in the 2021 draft. He’s incredibly fast, has an extreme vertical, and can explode to the rim better than almost anyone in the league. Despite that, and despite his solid numbers, he’s been in a rather limited role for someone with his talents.

That’s because, for all of his raw ability, Kuminga makes quite a few mistakes. He’s a bit reckless, doesn’t always make the best passes, can force up shots, resorts to hero-ball, and sometimes gets tunnel vision in key situations.

That not only leads to turnovers, but it’s not the style of basketball the Warriors want to play. They’re an all-hands-on-board style team. Someone trying to force their way into the game doesn’t really work.

Even so, with the loss of De’Anthony Melton for the season with a knee injury, and with some of their role players doing poorly in the new rotation, coach Steve Kerr decided to give Kuminga more minutes and inject him into the starting lineup.

A Positive Change

Giving Kuminga more time worked wonders. Not only did the Warriors get the big win against Houston, snapping their five game losing streak, but Kuminga put up 33 points and 7 rebounds in the process.

Those were both season highs for the star. He also played more minutes than he had all season, giving him time to both find his rhythm and take pressure off the rest of the team.

While the guard followed up his impressive performance with a rather mundane 13 point affair in a loss to the Timberwolves, he came back with 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists against Minnesota the next night to help the Warriors get their second win in three games.

Those victories are important, not just because they came against good teams, but because they show Kerr might have finally found a recipe that works. The Warriors were very experimental during their losing streak, and it’s about time they found a reliable rotation.

“We’ve got to constantly think about everything,” Kerr said of his new lineup. “At the same time, I don’t want a revolving door in the rotation all season long, so it’s a tricky puzzle right now, trying to fit the lineups together and find the right combinations.”

Less Time for Draymond

Of course, when one person starts to see more minutes, other players lose theirs. Surprisingly, it seems that the player who might see the floor less is Draymond Green. Though he’s still one of the team’s stars, Kerr has talked about him coming off the bench as of late.

A lot of that has to do with Kuminga. If the guard is to see a bigger role, the Warriors need a group who can space the floor. While Kuminga did start next to Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis earlier this year, they had a lot of issues getting clean looks.

Moving a wing like Brandin Podziemski into Green’s place opens up the floor a lot better, and allows Kuminga to use his athleticism in order to both rebound and attack the basket.

“Playing [Kuminga] with Wiggs, playing Loon to start with that group means that Draymond doesn’t have to guard the opposing center right from the get-go, which I think is important,” Kerr stated. “Then we can close with Draymond at the 5. So, in theory, I like what it looks like.”

While Green was back in the starting lineup for the most recent win against the Timberwolves, the new look is something that could happen more often in the coming games.

Whatever Kerr decides to do, it’s clear that the team wants Kuminga more involved at more positions. He might not have the same star power as Curry, but he’s putting up great numbers on a team that desperately needs it.

Sometimes, that’s more than enough.