Jonathan Kuminga has been one of the shining lights for the Golden State Warriors this season, though it appears the second-year excitiement machine is yet to gain traction among those around the league.
The 20-year-old was the obvious snub from a 28-player group selected for the Rising Stars challenge game at All-Star weekend. The game is slated to be played on Friday 17th February at Vivint Arena in Utah.
The absence of Golden State Warriors’ forward Jonathan Kuminga from the Rising Stars squad left many scratching their heads on Tuesday.
Kuminga averaged 9.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists on 51.4% shooting in the month of December. Although a foot sprain limited him to just five games in January, the former number seven overall pick elevated his game further by averaging 12.4 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists on 59.5% from the field and 58.5% from three-point range.
Those numbers only tell half the story — with growing trust from head coach Steve Kerr, Kuminga has taken a primary role as a point-of-attack defender Golden State. With his athleticism and defensive instincts, Kuminga has proven a defensive disruptor for a number of the league’s best players.
there are very, very few players in the Rising Stars Game more talented than Jonathan Kuminga
— Dalton Johnson (@DaltonJ_Johnson) January 31, 2023
Of the 20 top-ten picks across the past two NBA drafts, 11 will be involved in the Rising Star challenge later this month. That includes fellow top ten members of Kuminga’s draft class — Jalen Green, Evan Mobley, Scottie Barnes, Josh Giddey and Franz Wagner. In fact, only Kuminga and Jalen Suggs are absent from the top eight of the 2021 draft, with Cade Cunningham ineligible to be selected due to a season-ending shin injury.
It begs the question what Kuminga had to do to earn a spot? That only extrapolates with the fact that seven players from the G League will participate in the contest. One of those is a familiar face to the Warriors in 24-year-old Mac McClung, a member of Golden State’s training camp squad. The high-flying guard will also be a part of the festivities on the Saturday as he participates in the dunk contest.
For Kuminga, it looks like this is another consequence of being on a championship-contender where he plays far fewer minutes than he otherwise would on a rebuilding team. Would he trade his championship ring in for a small individual accolade though? Absolutely not.