The Golden State Warriors know that they made a mistake drafting Jonathan Kuminga. Yet with each passing day, the players they passed on turn into stars, while Kuminga becomes more and more of a problem for the Warriors.
The conversation around the Warriors' selection in the 2021 NBA Draft has been polarizing ever since they made the pick. Armed with the No. 7 pick after trading D'Angelo Russell to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Warriors had the opportunity to inject a young star into their aging core.
Instead, the Warriors chose Kuminga. While his athleticism and scoring ability were and remain impressive, very few of the necessary supporting skills have come together for him. His defense is inconsistent, his passing is limited, and his feel is spotty. On the Warriors in particular, who play a very cerebral brand of basketball, he has failed to be a winning player.
The flashes are there, but the full package is not. For every week where he fits into place and looks like he has taken the leap, there are three weeks where he plays selfishly and makes boneheaded mistakes that get him yoinked out of the starting lineup. Casting blame for his failed development is not easy between the front office, coaching staff and Kuminga himself, but it has not worked out in any meaningful way for Kuminga in Golden State.
That would be frustrating enough on its own, but the regret continues to grow as the 2021 NBA Draft class takes another step forward this season. Not only did the Warriors draft a mild bust, but they did so when multiple stars at similar positions were available for the taking -- and instead went to other teams.
The Warriors passed on these rising stars
Since Jonathan Kuminga's rookie season, his inconsistencies have been compared with the success of Franz Wagner, taken by the Orlando Magic with the very next pick. The star of the German national team has averaged 19.3 points per game, played over 4,000 more minutes, and has been on the fringes of the All-Star conversation for multiple years.
Yet to add insult to injury, players further down the draft board are leveling up in a significant way, which only makes the Warriors' failure all the more acute. There was not one but multiple All-Star-level players on the board, and they missed on all of them to take Kuminga.
Alperen Sengun was drafted 16th in the 2021 Draft and blossomed into an All-Star already, making the team last year for a Houston Rockets team making the leap. This year, he is averaging 22.8 points per game to go with 9.1 rebounds and 7.3 assists. He is a capable defender and a playmaking, scoring hub as a big.
Jalen Johnson went 20th to the Atlanta Hawks and will almost certainly make the All-Star team this season. He is truly coming alive in his fifth season in the league, averaging 23.2 points, 10 rebounds and 7.3 assists while also being a defensive difference-maker. He is the best player on the Hawks and on a bargain contract.
Some might point to where both Sengun and Johnson went in the draft and say that the Warriors had no chance of considering them at No. 7. Yet Sengun was rated as one of the best players in the draft by many models and was ranked in the Top 5 of some public draft boards. Johnson fell because of the messy way he left Duke during his freshman season, but he was considered a Top-10 talent in that class.
Even if the bar is lowered from star, multiple players taken after Kuminga would have been better selections. Moses Moody has clearly been better, and while he is also on the Warriors, using the No. 7 pick on Moody and the No. 14 pick on Sengun or Johnson would have been a coup. Trey Murphy III has been a plus starter for the New Orleans Pelicans.
Drafting Jonathan Kuminga was an upside swing that has not worked out. If the Warriors had wanted a star, there were players there for the taking. And imagining a Warriors roster starting Franz Wagner and Alperen Sengun only makes the regret grow for Golden State.
They messed up, and the salt is being poured on the wound.