Why Draymond thinks that JK is rising to prominence with the Warriors
Co-hosts of “Dubs Talk,” Kerith Burke and Monte Poole, discuss how Draymond Green’s return to the Warriors starting lineup has helped Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga.
About a month after expressing frustration about his uneven playing time, Jonathan Kuminga has been dominating for the Warriors, and a seasoned teammate of the 21-year-old has duly noted this.
On the most recent episode of “The Draymond Green Show,” Draymond Green declared confidently, “In other news, Jonathan Kuminga is a star, man.” “That young man is really cute.” No one can stop him from reaching his positions; he can go to the hoop whenever he pleases and finish first among them. He is demonstrating to you the promise that we have all come to think exists. He is moving.
looking into that right now. He currently plays a significant part for this club, and that won’t be changing anytime soon.
“[Kuminga has] exerted tremendous dominance… That’s seven games in a row with more than 20 points, if my memory serves me well. And as you can see, it’s a dominant 20. It’s not like he’s suddenly producing 20. “Oh, I didn’t know,” you say, but you’re seeing his dominance.
Since Kuminga was chosen by Golden State with the seventh overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, the forward has had difficulty persuading head coach Steve Kerr that he deserves to play significant minutes.
But Kerr appears to be on board now.
In Golden State’s last six games, Kuminga has averaged 25.1 points on 61.9 percent shooting and 6.7 rebounds per game, as noted by Green.
The forward will play a significant part in the Warriors’ 2023–24 campaign thanks to his perseverance and recent success, and Green thinks this is no surprise.
“Watching him over the last three years, continue to grow [and] put in the work has been a joy,” said Green. In addition, despite everything that has been thrown at him, inconsistent minutes are occasionally an issue in this league. particularly when you join a team the way he did. That’s a component of it. But he persisted in his efforts and maintained the course. Huge props to that young man. He puts in a lot of effort and watches a lot of movies with [coach Anthony Vereen]. That’s what you want [for], that it works out for him.
“Kuminga’s] style of play has been
incredible. “You should enjoy your last [NBA] All-Star break,” I said to him recently. You will be present at All-Star Weekend coming forward. JK has such a unique gift. It’s been amazing to see him go downhill because of the pressure he puts on the rim, which is difficult for any team to contain.
Kuminga is averaging career-highs in points (14.8), rebounds (4.5), assists (1.6), and field goal percentage (53.2) after 43 games in his third NBA season.
Despite being a younger player on a more experienced Golden State squad, Green respects Kuminga’s business acumen, particularly with relation to his dislike of uneven playing time.
“JK stated, ‘I don’t know my function,’ in a few remarks he made earlier in the year. I’m not sure.