Why Warriors' Jonathan Kuminga is the X-factor for team's success
The Golden State Warriors (27-26) face a difficult journey to reach the postseason and with 29 games remaining in the NBA season, third-year forward Jonathan Kuminga is the X-factor in this team's success.
In an interview with Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, Kuminga spoke about his early season struggles and how a heart-to-heart talk with coach Steve Kerr allowed him to come into his own.
"I just told him how I feel, he told me how he feels. Things he wanted me to do more to get more playing time. After that, just going out there and just enjoying it, enjoying playing for him. He's coaching me harder. Sometimes you don't understand things until it comes to your eyes. Somebody wants great things for you, that's why they coach you harder."
This meeting occurred before a Jan. 5 victory over the Detroit Pistons and Kuminga has flourished since then, averaging 20.1 points and 5.7 rebounds on 56.7 percent shooting from the floor. While Stephen Curry and Draymond Green are the emotional lynchpins of the Warriors, Kuminga has become the energizer on the court, utilizing his athleticism to great effect.
“Since I got suspended, JK has taken off,” Green said last week. “Our offense don’t look the exact same like it used to look. We got different things that we’re going to. We’re able to find different combinations that work.”
Kuminga has been given more ball-handling opportunities, especially in the low-post where the Warriors utilize their off-ball movement to create open looks. This role requires a high degree of focus and basketball IQ since timing is a key factor in its success.
Per Cleaning the Glass, the Warriors are the fifth in offense and eighth in net rating (+7.8) over the last two weeks, due in large part to Kuminga's expanded role on offense.
Although Kuminga was part of the Warriors' championship-winning team in 2022, he was a rookie and averaged just 8.6 minutes during their postseason run. Assuming the Warriors make the playoffs, this year will be an entirely new test for the 21-year-old. He'll command more defensive attention than ever before and how he responds will dictate how far this Warriors team will go.
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