Jonathan Kuminga suffered a lot last year due to the Golden State Warriors’ center position. His playing time and playing style were deeply affected because of spacing issues. Head Coach Steve Kerr has been cognizant of that since last season. But there was nothing the Warriors’ head coach could do to help Kuminga. The lineups were not fit for the power forward to showcase his full abilities since the paint was mostly clogged due to Draymond Green and Kevon Looney’s lack of a shooting threat.
This season, though, things have slightly changed, and the Warriors have signed a true stretch five who could make things better for Kuminga. Talking to Tim Kawakami on the TK show, Kerr went in-depth on Kuminga’s fit around the 20-minute mark.
“I mean, that’s part of the reason that JK hasn’t played as much as he has wanted to because it’s been tougher to find, you know, a lot of combinations that click… “And, you know, because of the idea that you need shooting in the modern NBA, a Space five could be something that really helps him,” Kerr said.
The Warriors struggled to put Kuminga with anyone last year. They did have seven-feet-tall Quinten Post as an option, but his defense and maturity weren’t quite there yet. Kuminga will have the benefit of Al Horford giving him the space needed in the paint to drive to the basket and make the plays that he’s the most efficient at.
Last year, Kuminga posted 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.1 assists on average through 47 games, where he got to play 24.3 minutes per game. Due to the injury and the inability to find a fit, he shot 45.4% from the field and only 30.5% from the three-point line. Whereas if you look at the 2023-24 season, he shot 52.9% from the field and 32.1% from deep, which means his performance saw a massive dip last season.
On the other hand, Al Horford averaged 9.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists. He also shot 36.3% from the three-point line last season. It is exceptional for a big man, since that makes him a real threat on the court, not just theoretically. Horford also averaged 5.2 three-point attempts every game, which means he will be able to stand at the perimeter and demand a defensive posting, which in turn clears the paint area for Kuminga. This inside-outside combination could be a key threat for the Warriors’ opponents.
According to Kerr, his best game comes out with Stephen Curry and Brandin Podziemski. But outside these two, there aren’t many two-man or three-man combos that fit well with Kuminga. And these two players, as well, Kerr revealed, can fit in with anyone, so it’s not like it helped Kuminga’s case last year.
Throughout this off-season, tensions had been running high between the two parties. Still, it appears that the contract extension has resolved any existing issues, and the Warriors are now ready to move ahead together.
Jonathan Kuminga Reportedly At Peace After Contract Extension
After a rigorous and public holdout over his contract negotiations, Kuminga was finally able to reach a respectable extension of $48.5 million. With the ugly negotiations behind him, Kuminga is looking towards the future and happily training with the Warriors again.
“Happiness, joy, peace… I saw Kuminga dance after the game. He told me he was at peace. I think the guys, Steph, Draymond, Jimmy, and Buddy Hield played a good role in giving him support… At Golden State, he says, ‘I’m committed here, and I wanna win a championship here.’ So it didn’t sound like somebody who’s trying to force his way out.” Insider Marc Spears revealed.
It has been a rollercoaster ride for the 23-year-old power forward and the Golden State Warriors. But now that things have settled down and the roster is somewhat ready, they face a new challenge of making it work. Head Coach Steve Kerr is one of the few people who can actually get it done.
