Warriors’ Stephen Curry has been impressed by first-round pick Jonathan Kuminga
When the Golden State Warriors traded for the Minnesota Timberwolves 2021 first-round pick, they envisioned getting that No. 4 overall pick as the deal put top-3 protection on it. Following draft night, they were left with the No. 7 and No. 14 overall picks.
It felt like a mad rush to try and trade them, acquiring a star was thought to be their No. 1 goal.
The Golden State Warriors’ Big 3 were on board with the drafting of forward Jonathan Kuminga, and his recent play has continued to impress them.
It quickly turned out that that wasn’t the case. The trade market for stars was just absolutely ridiculous with the Sixers wanting James Wiseman, Andrew Wiggins, and four first-round picks for Ben Simmons.
That was never going to happen, so the Warriors ended up picking the best available player. With Jonathan Kuminga still on the board, they opted to take the G-League Ignite forward that was a top-five prospect in the Class of 2020.
Kuminga has impressed early on, playing a couple of games at the Las Vegas Summer League. With two-time MVP Stephen Curry in attendance, he gave his first opinion of the Warriors lottery pick while talking with general manager Bob Myers.
"“We were watching him last night with Steph and Draymond. For me, in the position I’m in, it’s almost like watching your kids. … I almost care more what a player might say about him and think about him, because they don’t carry that bias.“But talking to Curry and Draymond, Steph kind of elbowed me and said, ‘This kid’s pretty good.’ And these guys don’t compliment easily. They’ve seen a lot,” Myers said on 95.7 The Game’s “Damon, Ratto & Kolsky” via NBC Sports’ Dalton Johnson."
We already knew Draymond Green’s opinion. It seems like everyone is on board with Kuminga which is important, just as the Green Bay Packers. With his impressive summer league start, the reassurance is already there.
Kuminga needs to continue to improve. His Ignite efficiency numbers, showing under 40 percent from the field and under 30 percent from deep, were concerning. His shot is looking much better, but it’s far too early to positive or negatively judge his potential.
Averaging 17 points per game, Kuminga is shooting under 35 percent from the field. Eventually, he’ll have to be efficient, and that should be something the Warriors work with him on from the start.
Both Kuminga and James Wiseman are expected to be the future of the franchise, so let’s hope their potential starts to come around sooner rather than later.