Jonathan Kuminga has spoken for the first time since the conclusion to his three-month free agency saga, having ultimately returned to the Golden State Warriors on a two-year, $48.5 million contract earlier in the week.
While not overly convincing at times in Thursday's media interview, Kuminga said many of the right things and what his coaches, teammates and fans would have wanted to hear. There was certainly no indication the young forward is going to be a major locker room distraction, albeit he'll still be the biggest individual watch on the Warriors entering the season.
The problem for Kuminga is that with Wednesday's comments relating to his on-court plans, the 22-year-old has set himself up for disaster if he can't follow through with action once the season gets underway against the Los Angeles Lakers later this month.
Jonathan Kuminga's game will be micro-analyzed early this season
Kuminga spoke on his desire to make more of a two-way impact particularly on the defensive side of the ball (per Anthony Slater), while also repeatedly reiterating his hope to make a winning impact as Golden State strives to win another championship (per Sam Gordon).
“Being involved in both sides. Finds a way to impact. If it’s on defense, an assignment, just go guard the best player," Kuminga said. "My focus is this year, pushing and actually helping us win. You never know what’s going to happen, but I’m happy, glad to be back.”
This should be exactly what the Warriors and fans will want to hear, especially given his awkward fit with the veteran core has often stemmed from his lack of versatility and the disparity in how he views himself compared to the coaching staff.
If Kuminga is willing to take on some more of the role-player aspects that are ultimately so important to winning, then he's far more likely to earn consistent minutes from Steve Kerr and be a key piece in what Golden State are trying to do.
However, these are only words at the end of the day and we've heard them from Kuminga before at different points through his career. Given what's just happened through the entire offseason, there will be more focus on the 22-year-old's play than ever before.
The first time Kuminga takes a contested mid-range jump-shot rather than passing to an open Stephen Curry, he misses a defensive rotation or fails to box out correctly, fans and analysts will be quick to jump on these comments that in a way promises that things will be different this season.
That's really unfair given every player makes mistakes, but it's also the reality of the scrutiny Kuminga will face after all the attention and wide-ranging emotions that stemmed from his free agency process.