By late September many Golden State Warriors fans were rightly sick and tired of the Jonathan Kuminga free agency drama, so much so that some simply wanted the franchise to move on from the young forward after a turbulent four years.
Yet just two games into the regular season, the Warriors have already been rewarded for their patience in Kuminga's free agency despite the constant pressure to find a resolution and confirm their subsequent roster signings.
Jonathan Kuminga is playing a surprisingly major role for the Warriors
Imagine saying a month ago -- at a point where Kuminga remained unsigned and with his future still up in the air -- that the 23-year-old would have averaged the second-most minutes of any Golden State player over the first two games. Perhaps more importantly, imagine saying that Kuminga would close both games and play a vitally important role in back-to-back wins over the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets.
It's a stunning early turnaround from what was a long and frustrating offseason, with Kuminga finally returning on a two-year, $48.5 million contract with a second-year team option. The front office was already rewarded by getting the former seventh overall pick back on their terms, rather than caving to the player option demands that had been made so public by Kuminga's agent, Aaron Turner, during the negotiations.
But now they've been rewarded by Kuminga's on-court production, something that started in preseason where he was clearly bought in with increased rebounding activity and a willingness to involve his teammates far more than what was seen through his first four years in the league.
That's only got better through the first two games of the regular season, with Kuminga taking on many of the role player aspects that Golden State have been pleading for him to deliver during his career to date.
Kuminga's 14 total rebounds are only behind Draymond Green's 15, while his 4.5 assists per game are far beyond the 1.8 he's averaged for his career -- yet his turnover rate remains the same. He's also taking on the primary point-of-attack defense responsibilities, something that should continue despite the imminent return of fellow 2021 lottery pick Moses Moody.
In return Kuminga's getting the sort of playing opportunity and trust he's desperately been searching for. We've seen this at times before and it inevitably ends with him being pushed back to the bench, but this does feel a little different based purely on the mature way he's playing alongside Golden State's veteran core.
Could the entire offseason prove just a blip on the radar to Kuminga remaining with the Warriors long-term? There's certainly a long way to go, but it feels far more likely than what it was even a week ago.