Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga has been in the limelight for the greater part of the postseason. After some questionable decisions saw him sidelined in the last few games of the regular season, Kuminga set foot on the court for his team in the playoffs. Unfortunately, a recent statistic by “StatsMuse” has shown that this hasn’t necessarily benefited the Warriors.
In the absence of Stephen Curry, the Warriors had to go deep into their rotation to find players who could produce on the offensive side of the ball. Considering the matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves was going to be a challenging one, the Warriors needed to make use of every asset they could find.
However, this didn’t pan out the way the team would have intended as a wild stat showed that the Warriors are 0-7 when Kuminga plays more than 20 minutes a game in the playoffs.
The 22-year-old has played in a total of eight playoff games this season. From these games, he has only had three games where he played fewer than 20 minutes. Those three were the games the Warriors ended up winning.
Kuminga’s performances in the playoffs haven’t been bad. Although he wasn’t very effective against the Rockets, he did a solid job against the Wolves. With an average of 13.7 points and 2.4 rebounds on 48.6% FG, the Warriors forward fulfilled his role for the team.
In Game 5 against the Wolves, Kuminga played for a total of 32 minutes. In this time, the forward recorded 26 points on 47.8% FG. However, his team still saw their season come to an end as they came up with a 121-110 loss on Wednesday night.
The earlier figures from this statistic may be skewed. However, in the series against Minnesota, the 22-year-old was asked to play significant minutes to support the team. Considering the outcome, it is truly difficult to overlook what kind of impact his presence has had on the team.
Trade Rumors Involving Jonathan Kuminga Begin To Heat Up
Jonathan Kuminga has been the central figure in a lot of offseason chatter involving the Warriors. The young forward is due to be paid. However, his position in the team may not be viewed favorably.
The inconsistency with which Kuminga has been played and how he has been perceived by the Warriors’ coaching staff certainly raises eyebrows. By virtue of this, it is widely expected that the Warriors forward will find himself moving to another team in the summer.
Several such trade packages and proposals have been presented. An athletic wing with a microwave scoring ability is always a valuable asset. With teams such as the Hornets, the Nets, the Magic, and many others emerging as potential destinations, Kuminga is bound to find a home in the league soon.
The circumstances are certainly unfortunate. After struggling to fit alongside Jimmy Butler early on, the Warriors found both their forwards meshing on the floor against the Wolves. However, the team may not have as much time to cultivate and build upon this unit as they face roster construction issues in the offseason.
