As the Golden State Warriors have fallen behind, 3-1, in their second-round matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves, young forward Jonathan Kuminga's remarkable playoff resurgence has been one of the lone bright spots for the struggling team.
After being pushed out of the rotation entirely following the mid-season arrival of Jimmy Butler, Kuminga has returned to the floor during his team's most desperate time and has heavily exceeded expectations.
However, as he enters restricted free agency this summer, there is a chance that Golden State might not be able to retain him, and, if so, the end of this season will serve as a painful reminder of what could have been.
Jonathan Kuminga never got the opportunity he deserved under Steve Kerr
Kuminga, who was the seventh overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, has always displayed extreme athleticism and scoring prowess.
Through his first 32 games this season, Kuminga was having a career year, averaging 16.8 points, five rebounds and 2.2 assists in 26 minutes per game. However, an ankle sprain he suffered in early January kept him out for over two months, and, in his absence, the team's structure formed entirely around their new star.
Upon his return, Kuminga struggled to fit the role that the team's new structure demanded of him, and his minutes were cut to just over 20 per game. Most tellingly, he was ultimately sidelined by head coach Steve Kerr in the team's two most important games of the season: the regular-season finale against the Los Angeles Clippers and the play-in matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Yet, Kuminga, when he is given the opportunity to cut and score at will rather than taking on the more defensive and rebounding-centric role that the Warriors' coaching staff has envisioned for him, has shown that he is an active and dynamic player.
Now, after enduring his time away from the court, Kuminga has returned to the rotation, scoring 18, 30 and 23 points in each of the games in which he has played more than 20 minutes this postseason.
Many players, especially those with Kuminga's skill-set, struggle to find their game in limited minutes. A microwave bench-scorer, such as Ty Jerome of the Cleveland Cavaliers or Payton Pritchard of the Boston Celtics, is a much rarer thing in the NBA than many realize.
To Kuminga's credit, he has stayed ready and, when given extended run, has flourished when his team has needed him most.
However, given his upcoming restricted free agency, it is likely that a team with large amounts of cap space, such as the Brooklyn Nets or Detroit Pistons, might take a swing at giving Kuminga the extended run that he has longed for in Golden State.
If Kuminga does leave the Warriors, and performs according to his abilities elsewhere, it will become obvious what his original franchise missed out on by not giving him what he needed to excel.