The Golden State Warriors are considered one of the title favorites this season, and there’s no doubt that they are an extremely talented team. On top of their veteran core, they have a number of young players in the wings, waiting for their chance to shine for the team.
This season, many fans consider the Golden State Warriors a contending team simply due to the amount of talent that the team has managed to amass. However, some are skeptical about their chances simply because some of their younger players are very inexperienced. In fact, recently, a scout who spoke to Ric Bucher of Fox Sports revealed that the Warriors need Jonathan Kuminga and James Wiseman to have breakout years to get back to the Finals. Both players are highly touted, with people stating that James Wiseman, in particular, may become an All-Star in the future. Thus far, the two have only seen limited playing time for the Golden State Warriors.
“For the Warriors to be back in the Finals, Wiseman or Kuminga has to have a Jordan Poole year, has to break out,” the scout said. “Neither one of them played college basketball and they’ve been thrown into the best team in the NBA. A group of players who all know how to play and cut and are smart.”
There is no question that the Golden State Warriors are a well-run organization, and it is quite likely that the team will help James Wiseman and Jonathan Kuminga be productive at the NBA level. However, the question is always going to be about whether they can become good players fast enough to help Stephen Curry win another title, and hopefully, we will see the two youngsters manage to develop quickly and give the team impactful minutes.
Jonathan Kuminga Might Be Frustrated With The Warriors
When a young player doesn’t get opportunities to play real minutes, there’s a chance they may end up getting frustrated. Obviously, the Warriors are contending, so their decision to keep young players’ minutes short is understandable. However, a recent report has suggested that Jonathan Kuminga is frustrated with the lack of playing time he has received.
“The guy you worry about is Kuminga,” a Western Conference executive told Deveney. “The stuff that was said about him, about his work ethic and all of that, the reality is, he wasn’t playing, and he was frustrated. Everyone knew it last year. With the Warriors, they have been lucky that everyone that they have kind of falls in line. Moody, Wiseman, I think those guys get it. But Kuminga wants to play.”
“He has never been in this situation, and it is obviously hard for him,” the executive said. “He could probably average 12, 15 points a game if he played regular minutes. He knows that. But the way the team is built, he has to wait, and it does not seem like waiting is in his DNA.”
Hopefully, we will see Jonathan Kuminga prove to Steve Kerr that he deserves minutes in the future. There is definitely a chance that could happen as Kuminga improves his skill set in practice, but obviously, he’ll need real minutes to develop well.
There’s no doubt that the Golden State Warriors have a difficult task, balancing both development and competition. Generally, teams stick with one or the other, but knowing the Warriors, they’ll find a way to make it work.
