Jonathan Kuminga's shot selection was problematic at various points across his Golden State Warriors career, and it already threatens to repeat at the Minnesota Timberwolves after a rough second preseason outing for the 24-year-old.
Kuminga scored just two points against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night at Hilton Coliseum, going 1-of-9 from the floor and 0-of-3 from from 3-point range in less than 19 minutes.
Kuminga must find consistent shot-selection to thrive in Minnesota
Kuminga has a starting role on a team looking to get back to the Western Conference Finals and beyond, leaving little room for error for the young forward not to work out after the Timberwolves signed him to a two year, $12.4 million contract in free agency.
The issue has often been finding a balance. Minnesota head coach Chris Finch has already urged Kuminga to be aggressive, and the former seventh overall pick is undoubtedly at his best when doing so. After all, his ability as a scorer is his best attribute when harnessed correctly..
The problem is Kuminga is once again part of an offense where he’s not the main guy, with those duties centred around franchise superstar Anthony Edwards and notable offseason arrival LaMelo Ball. In Wednesday’s 123-112 loss to the Pacers, Kuminga took the same number of shots as Ball and one less than Edwards despite seeing less time on the floor and being far less efficient.
Kuminga wound up as the only Timberwolves starter with a negative plus minus, with his poor shooting percentages reflected in a number of contested shots while also being mixed in with some defensive lapses that Finch and the coaching staff won’t want to see come the regular season.
Jonathan Kuminga faces challenge to prove Warriors wrong
While Kuminga regularly showed immense talent and potential as a leading scorer, Steve Kerr struggled to find value in him as a more complementary player, and the primary offensive duties weren’t about to flip from Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler to their young teammate.
Following his departure from Golden State in February, the Atlanta Hawks also chose to utilize Kuminga in more of a bucket-getting sixth man role. They clearly didn’t think that was worth opting in to the $24.3 million team option he initially had for this season, allowing Kuminga to enter free agency where he failed to find that kind of deal elsewhere.
The challenge now for Kuminga is to prove the Warriors and Hawks wrong, and that he can become a valuable starting level player on a legitimate playoff team. Based on Tuesday’s outing, albeit only a preseason one, that could be easier said than done.
Add us as a preferred source on Google