The NBA Summer League has started, and lottery pick Jonathan Kuminga has kicked off his stint with the Golden State Warriors.
Once his name was called, it felt like there were immediately mixed emotions among Dub Nation. With Davion Mitchell taken at No. 9, the Warriors weren’t able to get the Baylor point guard with their second lottery pick.
The Golden State Warriors drafted G-League Ignite forward Jonathan Kuminga at No. 7, and the Big 3 approves the front office’s decision.
However, despite some of the fans not understanding the reasoning behind selecting a long-term project, the Warriors proceeded. They did get the approval from their Big 3, which, as we’ve seen in the NFL with Aaron Rodgers, is important.
Per The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson (subscription required), all three picks had something positive to say around the team adding Kuminga at No. 7. That note cannot go without being noted. Having those three onboard is huge.
As for Kuminga, he’s already looking solid in summer league, playing one with the Warriors team in Sacramento. He shot 50 percent from the field which was 7-for-14, so the 19-year-old was efficient in his first game which was one of his main pre-draft concerns.
While Kuminga doing that once is positive, it’ll be about repetition. Seeing him do it at the Las Vegas Summer League would be nice as well, especially as he already has experience competing with older players while with Ignite.
With his athleticism and ceiling, Kuminga is a budding star.
The real question is if the Warriors can develop his shooting and decision-making. If they can get both of those to come around, there’s no reason the James Wiseman Kuminga duo can’t take over the organization within the next half a decade.
To be fair, there’s still a long road to NBA stardom, and it’s seldomly found by even top ten picks. While Kuminga has the skills and should be a solid NBA pro, he’s still got quite a bit of work to do to contribute this coming season, especially with Andre Iguodala now also in the mix.
If the Warriors can develop him correctly, Kuminga could be a star, and with all Big 3 on board with bringing him to the Bay, that help may come in the form of several decorated NBA players. That said, with the proper training, the sky will be the limit for Kuminga.