Evaluating Jonathan Kuminga’s up-and-down Summer League to date
Things for Jonathan Kuminga to work on
Although there have been undoubted positives, things have been far from smooth sailing. Kuminga’s ability to be a playoff contributor by next season remains a question mark, at least in comparison to someone like Moses Moody.
Here are three issues evident in Summer League that Kuminga needs to address.
1. Mentality
It was clear in game one against the Knicks that he wasn’t fully committed. There wasn’t the urgency or effort that’s required even in these games where he’s usually the most talented player on the floor.
He did turn things around against the Spurs, but you could argue that he overcompensated and almost tried too hard at times. This led to forcing things to an extent, whether it be the three-point shot or difficult passes that required pinpoint precision.
Although this is a concern, it’s not the major issue many think it is. He appears like someone who knows he’s too good for this level, allowing him to rely purely on talent if needed.
Conversely, these issues weren’t really present while playing in the NBA during his rookie season. He usually looked ‘locked in’ on both ends of the floor, knowing full well that he was fighting for opportunities in a deep Warriors roster.
2. Turnovers
While Kuminga has displayed positive signs of ball-handling and playmaking potential, it remains an inconsistent aspect of his game.
He’s committed five turnovers in each of his Summer League games, through a combination of poor decision-making and badly executed passes.
In the short term this isn’t a major issue. While passing IQ and execution is important in the Warriors system, he simply isn’t going to get the same kind of usage rate as he is in Summer League as the team’s first option.
Long-term, Golden State will hope Kuminga develops into a primary option at NBA level. If that’s the case, then he needs to dramatically improve the playmaking aspect of his game.
Jonathan Kuminga played less than four minutes to start his Summer League debut. A rough stint with an air-balled midrange jumper, a lazy pass up the court that got picked up, a bricked three, and an out-of-control layup attempt. pic.twitter.com/KNLrldhDMh
— Kelly O'Meara Morales (@_itskellyo) July 9, 2022
3. Three-point and free-throw shooting
The biggest concerns so far in Summer League are his three-point and free-throw shooting, particularly given these are areas where he’s made great strides in the past 12 months.
Kuminga is 1-for-11 (9.1%) from three-point range through two games. Even if he’s taking more difficult ones that he literally won’t be allowed to take at NBA level yet, they are still disappointing numbers.
Somehow, even more disappointingly, he’s 7-for-22 (31.8%) from the free-throw line. Given his ability to draw fouls (as previously mentioned), these are just simple opportunities that he’s not capitalizing on.
Even if he shot 12-for-18 against the Knicks, which is actually a worse percentage than what he shot in his rookie season, then he would have finished with a 33-point performance. It’s those 5-6 easy points that make a huge difference to how everyone analyses and evaluates your performance.
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At the end of the day, this is just two Summer League games. He’s also 19 still, which is younger than a lot of the recent selections in this year’s draft. No one’s expecting him to be a finished product without flaws, but the Warriors will be wanting him to be a positive, regular contributor next season.