It’s not every day that you see a 19-year-old rookie suit up in the starting lineup of an NBA Playoff game. It’s even stranger when it occurs in the second round of a heated series between the Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies — but Jonathan Kuminga is different.
No, really. Kuminga’s starting nod on Saturday made him the youngest player in league history to start in a playoff game.
How did he do? His 18 points put him in the company of Kobe Bryant, Tony Parker and Carmelo Anthony as the only teenagers to score 18+ points in a playoff game.
Jonathan Kuminga showed the world another glimpse of promise as he made his debut in the Golden State Warriors’ postseason starting five.
Kuminga did what Kuminga does. He stampeded his way to the rim, brushing opponents off with an ease that is rarely seen from a player so young. Of course, it helps that Kuminga has the physical build of a tank.
He finished the game 8-of-10 from the field and 2-of-4 from deep, a fairly efficient debut to the starting lineup.
Kuminga was far from perfect, though. As you’d expect, a few early turnovers and a bricked 3-point shot plagued his first stint on the floor as jitters took over.
On defense, he did his best to contain Ja Morant’s drive to the hoops while also sprinting out to defend the 3-point line.
This is why Kuminga was in the game after all. With the Warriors’ lead perimeter defender Gary Payton II on the sidelines, it only makes sense to slide Kuminga into the starting lineup in favor of a slower Kevon Looney.
Kuminga’s versatility on defense is something that has intrigued the Warriors all year and given the current matchup, it was about time they deployed him.
Most importantly, however, Kuminga and the Dubs managed to secure a victory. A big one, too. The Warriors won Game 3 by a 142-112 score and put themselves one game closer to a Western Conference Finals berth.
If the last game is any indication, we can expect to see Kuminga be a pivotal piece to the puzzle moving forward.