The NBA drama mill truly never ends. In a new debate stirred up by Stephen A Smith, fans are questioning if the Golden State Warriors can count on Jonathan Kuminga.
In a recent episode of First Take, Smith reported some of the rumblings he has been hearing from inside the Warriors’ organization.
"“I’m hearing too many things about him (Kuminga) off the court, in terms of his head, the level of discipline that he lacks.”Stephen A Smith on ESPN First Take"
Let’s make one thing clear, Smith has never been the guy to break news on the NBA. He’s mostly an entertainer and just about anything he says on his talk show should be taken with more than a grain of salt.
This being said, how credible is this claim?
Questions are emerging around Jonathan Kuminga’s commitment to the Golden State Warriors. Is this a valid concern?
The Warriors haven’t given any indication they don’t trust Kuminga. The teenage rookie played minutes throughout the 2021 NBA Playoffs, a level of trust few rookies have ever been given from a championship team.
Sure, Kuminga’s time on the court was sparse — but there hasn’t been any reason to think the Dubs are questioning his dedication.
Granted, this is the first full offseason Kuminga has had with the Warriors. Perhaps his work ethic hasn’t been up to par.
"“I’m saying that the attitude, the level of focus, commitment, determination, just putting your head down, doing the work. I’m hearing he’s shortchanging the Warriors in that regard.”"
Again, time will tell if Smith is giving credible insight to Kuminga’s situation. I’d say it will be pretty obvious if Kuminga has improved or not since his rookie season.
Considering Kuminga is still so young, it won’t be hard to notice if he is putting in the work. His ceiling is sky-high and he should be making strides each year at this stage in his career.
Given the nature of this reporting, I would not be too concerned. But if we see Kumigna hit a wall in his sophomore season? Maybe we’ll have to give Smith some credit.