Jonathan Kuminga and his growth within the Golden State Warriors
Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga: An offensive Wildcard
When he’s on the floor, whether head coach Steve Kerr likes it or not, Kuminga is one of the Warriors’ primary offensive options. He boasted the fourth-highest usage rate percentage on the team last season, falling behind Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Jordan Poole.
He also wasn’t necessarily forecast into a simplified role of catch-and-shoot attempts and off-ball cuts to the rim, though this was where he was at his best. 21.9% of Kuminga’s field-goal attempts came on three or more dribbles, a high mark for someone we’d consider an ancillary piece.
Fans often complained about Klay Thompson going away from his catch-and-shoot style and to dribbling more, yet he still had a lower percentage than Kuminga when it came to that mode of shot attempts.
His three-point shooting was an impressive development throughout the season, even if it took a few steps back in the most recent NBA Summer League. He shot 33.6% from deep, which while below league average, is certainly means to work with moving forward.
Evaluating Jonathan Kuminga’s up-and-down Summer League to date. light. Must Read
The interior physicality and ability to get to the rim is what stands out in Kuminga’s game, not just from a Warriors perspective but league-wide. He possessed a free throw attempt rate of 41.3%, that’s the number of free-throw attempts per field-goal attempt.
That’s incredibly high with the league average being 24.8%.
That ability to get to the line is an element the Warriors don’t otherwise have. Curry, for example, had a free-throw rate of 24.3%. Now it’s about harnessing Kuminga’s aggression in an appropriate manner – he still has occasions where he’s driving and things feel out of control in the paint.
While he’s shown playmaking flashes, tunnel vision still remains to an extent, meaning he’s often reliant on making tough finishes or getting a call from the referee.
He also finished with more turnovers than assists on the season, a mark you simply do not ever want to see again in future years.
However, his versatility is what makes him such an exciting prospect, not only for the long-term but as early as next season. It’s also this ability that should make him a regular in Kerr’s rotation next season.
Offensively, he can play in the dunker’s spot like a traditional non-shooting center. He can sit on the corner or the wing and make well-timed cuts for easy baskets, or wait for wide-open catch-and-shoot attempts.
He can play in the pick-and-roll as EITHER the ball-handler or screen-setter – some of my favorite plays last season came when Curry was the screener, and with his gravitational pull, it gave Kuminga a wide-open lane as the ball handler.
This inverted play design has worked almost every time the Warriors have used it this season. Steph Curry sets a high screen for Jonathan Kuminga, defenders stick with Curry, Kuminga gets a runway dunk. pic.twitter.com/LJwrdYVOeo
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) January 15, 2022
Plays can be drawn where Kuminga comes off into a dribble hand-off and attacks downhill where he’s so physically imposing and hard to stop. Of course, Kerr isn’t going to revolve plays and the offense around him, but these are all nice little ingredients that can be implemented more as time progresses.
With Kuminga and James Wiseman, the Warriors can breed a new rim-rattling style, one that ideally co-exists with the sharpshooting abilities of Curry, Thompson, and Jordan Poole.