NBCSBA: JK solidifies case as Warriors' most improved player in loss

[Robin Miller]

https://www.nbcsportsbayarea.com/nba/golden-state-warriors/jonathan-kuminga-most-improved/1703578/


JK solidifies case as Warriors' most improved player in loss

By Michael Wagaman

• Published February 15, 2024


SAN FRANCISCO – Jonathan Kuminga had yet another game scoring in double
figures, the 32nd consecutive time in which he has done so for the Warriors.

It has become a regular sight for Dub Nation, who have watched Kuminga
do his thing in every game Golden State has played since Dec. 2, 2023.

Even though the Warriors fell short to the Los Angeles Clippers on
Wednesday, losing 130-125 at Chase Center, Kuminga continued to state
his case for the most improved player on Golden State’s roster and
possibly the entire NBA.

In addition to his solid stat line (13 points, eight rebounds, six
assists), Kuminga literally had a hand in one of the game’s most
intriguing plays in the fourth quarter. Golden State rookie Brandin
Podziemski was driving for a layup when he got fouled hard by Clippers’
6-foot-11 center Mason Plumlee.

Kuminga, who was standing in the right corner of the court, came rushing
in and shoved Plumee. Kuminga drew a technical foul, along with the
respect of many in attendance.

For Kuminga, it was simply him having Podziemski’s back. Kuminga also
stepped in because he didn’t want Draymond Green, the Warriors’
long-time enforcer on the court who already has been suspended twice by
the NBA this season, getting involved and having to deal with the
repercussions that it might have set off.

“I did it for my teammate for sure. Can’t just let things slide,”
Kuminga said. “I wouldn’t want Draymond to do that because if he does
that, it’s going to be ‘Oh my God.’ I had to have my teammate’s back.
We’re all out there playing for each other so might as well fight for
each other, right?”

Kuminga has been showing a lot of fight over the past six weeks.

In and out of the Warriors’ lineup throughout his first two seasons in
the league and the first five weeks of the 2023-24 NBA season, mostly
because of his inconsistencies on both ends, Kuminga has developed into
Golden State’s best scoring threat not named Stephen Curry.

During this stretch of double-figure games, Kuminga has scored 20 or
more 11 times, including a career-high of 31 against the Sacramento
Kings on Jan. 25.

“That’s another progression of becoming that guy that instills a little
fear in [opposing] coaching staffs,” Curry said. “He’s done an amazing
job of staying patient, staying aggressive at the same time, finding his
spots and continuing to build that confidence.”

Kuminga never has lacked in confidence but was a little confused in how
he was being used by Warriors coach Steve Kerr this season.

After the two held a clear-the-air meeting, Green returned from his
second suspension and helped push Kuminga’s evolution further.

Kuminga showed the Clippers he’s more than just a player who possesses
explosive speed and attacks the rim like a lion does to its prey. He got
Paul George out of the game in the fourth quarter by drawing the fifth
and sixth fouls against the Clippers star. Before fouling out, George
had scored 24 points and was giving the Warriors’ defense fits.

It all added up to another chapter in Kuminga’s career during a season
in which he’s finally playing up to the expectations that surrounded him
as the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.

“I want to win. I’ve been a winner,” Kuminga said when asked what
sparked his turnaround this season. “I want to prove and show people
that I’m a winner.”

There’s no denying that Kuminga is in the best stretch of his career, a
dominant and dynamic scorer who destroys opponents when he drives to the
rim. He has improved on defense, too, and is a force that opponents have
to worry about.

Yet that isn’t likely to stop the critics, who continue to lash out
about Kuminga on social media.

Kuminga doesn’t expect it to stop any time soon. Not that he cares much
about the chatter and noise.

“People are never going to stop criticizing,” Kuminga said. “At the end
of the day they’re human beings, and they’re never going to stop
criticizing people. I don’t even care what people say.”



BTW, Kawakami said this about Kuminga last night:

Tim Kawakami @timkawakami

Got beat defensively and wasn't too good offensively. It happens.


--Robin