3. Jonathan Kuminga will average 25+ minutes, become top four player on the team
If there was one individual positive for the Warriors in preseason, it was the production of third-year forward Jonathan Kuminga. While many expect a jump from the 21-year-old this season, his early form suggests that jump could be even bigger than first thought.
Kuminga averaged the second-most points in the entire league over preseason, finishing with 21.8 points per game on 54.7% shooting and 45.8% from three point range. The former seventh overall pick also averaged 5.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists, proving Golden State’s best player through the five games.
Right now, Kuminga could be evaluated as the franchise’s seventh best player behind their usual starting five and the recently acquired Chris Paul. However, he is assuredly talented enough to surge up the pecking order.
It’s not out of the realms of possibility that Kuminga becomes a top three or four player on the team by the end of this season. Not just because he’s good enough, but because the Warriors might genuinely need him to be.
Kuminga offers the sort of dynamic two-way wing talent that Golden State doesn’t have outside Andrew Wiggins. He has an unmatched ability to get to the rim, and subsequently might lead the Warriors in free-throw attempts per 36 minutes this season. If Kuminga all of a sudden ascends into a top four player, the franchise’s championship chances multiply ten-fold.