Warriors forward unduly criticized in harsh assessment of current value

Jonathan Kuminga's second-half of the season was one of the shining positives for the Golden State Warriors, with the 21-year-old's play even briefly bringing him into the Most Improved Player discussion.

Despite the impressive form that saw him average 18.6 points on over 54% shooting across the final 43 games, it seems not everyone is convinced that Kuminga is ready to take another leap heading into his fourth year.

Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga has been surprisingly named among the list of the NBA's "most overrated" players

As speculation again percolates about a potential trade involving Kuminga this offseason, so too does conjecture on what sort of contract extension the 21-year-old could command from the Warriors or another rival team.

No longer is Kuminga being viewed as a young player on a rookie deal, but as someone whose next contract may be in excess of $140-150 million. As a result his value seems to have diminished somewhat in recent weeks, leading to his place among a list of the five most overrated players in the league according to Dan Favale of Bleacher Report.

"This idea that he's cornerstone material, both inside and outside the Warriors organization, is bizarre. Maybe he will get there one day. I hope he does. He's not there yet."

- Dan Favale

Kuminga isn't the only controversial name on the list, with Denver Nuggets star point guard and 2023 NBA champion Jamal Murray also there alongside Jonathan Isaac, Miles Bridges and another 2021 lottery pick in Jalen Green (taken second ahead of Kuminga at seven).

This overrated list comes a week after The Athletic's Shams Charania reported that the Utah Jazz value fellow 21-year-old Brandin Podziemski over Kuminga in any deal for Lauri Markkanen. Long-time NBA insider Marc Stein reiterated that point on Sunday, stating that "the Warriors would be more willing to move Jonathan Kuminga in a Markkanen trade — or any big-swing deal — than Podziemski." The Athletic's Tim Kawakami also suggested earlier in the week that the L.A. Clippers had previously been weary of bringing Kuminga back in a trade for Paul George specifically for the extension reason.

But amid all the contract discussion and what Kuminga may or may not be worth, we can't forget not only how productive he was in the second-half of last season, but how that actually helped impact winning. Across Golden State's 27-12 record to finish the season, the former seventh overall pick averaged 18.1 points (52.8% shooting), 5.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 29 minutes per game.

Are there genuine queries on what the Warriors should be willing to offer Kuminga on an extension? Absolutely. But one of the most overrated players in the NBA? That's a harsh assessment yet hopefully one the young forward can draw even more motivation from.