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SAN FRANCISCO – Torches are usually passed ceremoniously. Anointings are usually occasions for celebration.
But the Jonathan Kuminga era, however long it lasts, begins in desperation. Born from a lack of better answers. Motivated by Steph Curry’s dire need for an offensive co-star. Forced by the reality of a squad that regresses to its mean in the struggle to mask its weaknesses with its strengths.
What started as pregame whispers Friday night grew into a seismic shift in Golden State’s philosophy. In his fourth season, the Warriors finally declare Kuminga valuable enough to accommodate. Steve Kerr benched a future Hall of Famer in Draymond Green, who was playing well in his 13th season, to prioritize Kuminga.
It’s time. That was the topic of conversation at the Chase Center the 107-90 suffocation by Minnesota. Green, Curry, Kevon Looney, the gray veterans with multiple rings, all declared Kuminga worthy from the handlebars to what they built. An interim pillar with a chance of permanent status.
He is the best athlete on the team and a clear leader in the field. I might as well put the ball, the attack, the future in Kuminga’s hands. It’s a sentiment similar to the 1999 R&B classic “Let’s Get Married,” when Jagged Edge disguised concession as devotion.
Steph isn’t getting any younger, we might as well do it.
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They’ve tried all their options. De’Anthony Melton’s injury has exacerbated the problem they are trying to solve. They blow leads. They experience premature droughts. They desperately need another star on offense as the league is tauntingly comfortable calling the bluff of the Warriors’ motion attack.
It’s time.
One night after two Warriors legends cried out his career-high performance in celebration, which Kuminga called a dream come true, the same legends were behind the plan to star him. Green and Curry want him to start. Green even swallows his earned pride in coming off the bench – partly to save his body – because he believes in Kuminga.
“To be good,” Curry said, “you saw it in the game against Houston, you saw flashes, we need him to be the best version of himself. We need to be able to figure out – whether it’s play calling, whether it’s certain rotations or lineup combinations – what can unlock his ability to get downhill, to pressure the basket, to command attention from the defense. He is a great weapon for us. … So we have to lean on that. And maybe it doesn’t go well every night, but that’s what we’re trying to build.”
The truth is, he’s getting the opportunity because he’s earned it and because the Warriors are running out of time to give it to him. They need to know his abilities as well as he wants to show them.
Realistically, this is a two-month window – between now and the trade deadline – where the Warriors will have to make some tough decisions. They definitely want and need another star. They need to know if it’s Kuminga or not. They need to know what they need, and how much they need it, by February.
Whatever happens, and however he got here, Kuminga deserved this opportunity. It’s almost a rite of passage for a top 10 pick, getting a chance to explore the heights of his ceiling. The No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft waited 230 games for what most of his peers immediately received.
For most of his career, Kuminga has handled his journey admirably. Not perfect, but better than most 19-year-old NBA prodigies at his position. Disappointment did not affect his work ethic. He’s gotten better at suppressing the frustration behind his desire to be a good teammate. His game has evolved, even if some of the same weaknesses plague him in this Warriors system.
It’s a tough spot to put him in, sudden fame. Yes, Kuminga wanted this. He certainly wants to be paid that way and that’s why he doesn’t have a signed contract extension. But this isn’t how things normally go, which certainly fits Kuminga’s career storyline after being drafted to a franchise that clung to a dynasty and won a title in his rookie season.
Franz Wagner, the Orlando Magic’s superstar wunderkind, has played more than 3,200 more minutes than Kuminga. Wagner’s breakout campaign has been brewing throughout Orlando in recent years. Scottie Barnes is almost 2,800 minutes ahead of Kuminga. Josh Giddey has over 1,700 minutes of NBA playing time. They were all top-10 picks in 2021.
Of course, Kuminga believes he is at least as good as those players. He didn’t leave the Democratic Republic of Congo at the age of 13 and reach the NBA without believing in it. But he hasn’t had the serious chance to see how he performs. He was drafted by a winning franchise with title tunnel vision.
The normal way would be to give him reps at lower stakes. Ideally, the sets they’re going to use, the philosophy they’re going to adopt to accommodate him, should be something they’re comfortable with as a core group. But that’s hard to do with Hall of Famers to feed. That’s difficult when the philosophy of ball and body movement, passing and quick decisions, interchangeable pieces fluidly connected on both sides, conflicts with Kuminga’s strength.
Downhill.
Expect pick-and-rolls for Kuminga. Expect early attacks. Expect drive and kicks. Expect isolations on the blocks in favorable matchups.
Because the Warriors aren’t getting anywhere with dribble handoffs at the rim and ruthless passing. The league full of long, athletic wings just decided to deny Curry the ball and trap him when he gets the ball, aggressively replaying all those passes. It is an emphatic challenge against a selection without players who can create the dribble and finish in the lane.
Minnesota has the advantage of perimeter players who can mess up all of the Warriors’ passing and movement, along with rim protectors who can cover ball handlers who get through. It was suffocating.
Not every team has both. But most have the perimeter dogs. And the Warriors will have to beat teams with both to get where they’re aiming. Without a doubt, Kuminga is the best they have – not named Curry – at attacking a stout, athletic defense and imposing his will.
“We’re trying to maximize Jonathan,” Kerr said.
Kuminga and Andrew Wiggins flanking Curry are a better fit for the modern NBA. Wiggins is another viable offensive option. He has more skills and experience than Kuminga when it comes to scoring at this level. He’s had the reps. Kuminga is stronger, more explosive at this stage of their career and better in traffic. What happens when he lets the replays explore how he can score?
A good thing for Kuminga is the foundation he has as he approaches this stage of his career. The Warriors have indoctrinated him about what it takes to win big at the NBA level. Undoubtedly a great education for a player who could play fifteen seasons in this league. Five or 10 years from now, it wouldn’t be surprising at all if Kuminga is an NBA veteran singing the praises of Curry and Green and Looney, and even Kerr’s coaching staff, for the foundation of high-level basketball.
It involves a sacrifice. But if he’s given a real runway to explore his All-Star potential, he’ll have more insight into how to win than his peers have received. Now they can only hope that the hoops courses they put him through will pass in a matter of minutes. They can’t delay any longer.
It’s time.
GO DEEPER
Draymond Green and Steph Curry to support Jonathan Kuminga’s jump to starter
(Top photo from Jonathan Kuminga against driving Minnesota‘S Rudy Gobert during Friday’s game: Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)
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