Kuminga offers glimpse of grand future vs Grizzlies originally appeared nbc sports birea
Jonathan Kuminga delivered one of the best performances of his 135-game NBA career on Saturday in Memphis, and it wasn’t enough to save the Warriors from a 14-point loss. They were relatively unaffected.
The Warriors didn’t embrace the defeat, but Kuminga’s performance allowed them to better digest the result. It seemed to him that this was a night in which what he got was more important than what he saw.
The Warriors got the L he deserved, but they also got a glimpse of Kuminga playing as they hope he will for the next 10 seasons. Sometimes the long view matters most.
Coach Steve Kerr told reporters after FedExForum, “JK played both ends, got his throws down, rebounded well.” 133-119 loss To the Grizzlies. “That was the biggest thing. That’s what we’re looking for all the time.
Kuminga’s raw numbers were impressive: a team-high 24 points, 8-of-16 shooting, including 4 of 7 from deep, a team-high-tying eight rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block. Overall, 30 productive minutes.
Yet the way Kuminga approached his work was most impressive. He displayed a beautiful mix of wildness and sanity. The young forward avoided possession-killing forced shots and silly fouls with one exception. He was patient, launched when he should have, attacked when it was the right move and defended better than most of his teammates.
It was as “veteran” as Kuminga, all 20 years old and in his second NBA season, had ever seen.
“His improvement has been great,” Draymond Green said. “He’s exactly where you’d expect a guy to be at this point in his career, continuing to grow and get better at it, becoming more understanding, more and more reliable. That’s all you can ask for. As far as confidence When it comes to, you just have to stay the course.”
Andrew Wiggins is on leave and Andre Iguodala is out with a broken left wristKuminga is the most intriguing wing on the active roster. Klay Thompson usually plays offense, but his defense has been taken advantage of. Anthony Lamb has the subtle craftsmanship but can only dream of the athleticism of Kuminga. Moses is on the edge of the Moody rotation.
Kuminga is a presence at both ends, as eager as he is to contain the most dangerous scorers, he wants to climb up for rim-bending dunks,
Stephen Curry said, “The most important thing is to compete and be decisive on both ends of the floor.” “Offensively, the way they were defending us … it looked good. And there was never any second-guessing the shots he was taking, which is great because you don’t have to play on the court.” You have to make them pay for the way they shadow you the rest of the U.S. He has to be aggressive because when he’s out there, especially with certain lineups, he’s going to get those shots .
“You have to be assertive and decisive, and he did that really well, especially in the early days, and gave us a lot of life and energy.”
Yet one of Kuminga’s most memorable moments, “Shakin’ a Fool,” is a perfect fit for a reel. Swiping up a Desmond Bain pass late in the third quarter, Kuminga, imagining a breakaway jam, sprinted toward the rim, took off and … lost the ball out of bounds. Turnover, Warriors.
“Everyone makes mistakes,” Green reminded. “He tossed one on the fast break, and you come down and you make some plays out there. Who cares? Everybody tosses the ball.
“Emotionally, it’s always a different hurdle than playing on the court. It usually takes you a little longer to grow emotionally from a skill standpoint. You expect him to grow there, and I know that he would.
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While the Warriors were falling back to .500 (36-36) and No. 7 in the Western Conference, Kuminga was reminding everyone what he could become.
On a late-season night when the stakes are high and most of the Golden State veterans were feeling the effects of playing last night in Atlanta, the speedy Tyro dropped a complete performance.
It was not enough to win the match. It was enough to shed light on the future of Kuminga as well as the Warriors.
