Jonathan Kuminga and Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr spent time together in the film room discussing the questions that had been bothering the third-year forward.
On December 26, Kuminga said to Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic, “Me with the ball. Nobody’s guarding me.”
Kuminga continued, “But occasionally, I have to take that away to make sure my OGs get the ball. That’s the point of confusion. I occasionally finish a game not understanding what I did. And that makes me mentally unstable. “What do they want me to do?” is how it feels. I can succeed and perform various tasks.
Kuminga’s remarks were not taken personally by Kerr. Rather, he turned it into a teaching opportunity for his own forward motion.
Following their practice on December 27, Kerr told reporters, “I showed him those reasons.” “I showed him the plays that we want him to change and get better at.”
Steve Kerr Is Unaffected by Jonathan Kuminga’s Remarks
After Andrew Wiggins’ comeback on Christmas Day, when the seasoned forward played down the stretch against Kuminga, the player became irate.
“Those remarks don’t bother me at all,” Kerr remarked. “Every guy is eager to play, and JK has a lot of talent.” I have to read the game before every game, though, and [Wiggins] was our best player. In the end, we chose to stick with Wiggs, and I have no trouble making decisions like that. I believe JK finished the previous game, and he was performing admirably.
It will just change for each player depending on the game. That’s simply the current state of our team. where JK is as well.
During the first three quarters of the Warriors’ Christmas game in Denver, Kuminga scored 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting and 5 of 8 free throws, leading the team in scoring. However, his minus-24 score was a team low, so in the fourth quarter, Kerr turned to Wiggins.
After missing two games due to illness, Wiggins is back and scored 12 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter. However, his explosion was insufficient to overcome the chilly outside shooting of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, as they lost 120-114 to the reigning champions, ending their five-game winning streak.
Kuminga did not attempt a single shot during his three minutes of scoringless play in the fourth quarter. With a final line of 13 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and a minus-24 net rating—the second-worst on the team, only to Curry’s minus-26—he finished second on the team.
Kuminga Jonathan’s Development
Kuminga is having the best month of his young NBA career despite having a blue Christmas. With one exception, the 21-year-old forward’s total of 10 goals has been scored in every game in December.
This month, the 6-foot-7 Kuminga is averaging 14.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists while making 41% of his infrequent 2.5 3-point attempts and a strong 58% of his field goals.
“JK’s development has me ecstatic,” Kerr remarked. “At the moment, he’s doing a better job of just getting the ball out of his hands quickly, so when we have the advantage, it’s a quick swing, swing.”
“In the past three games, I’ve watched him pick up five or six assists when he caught the ball and promptly swung it to Curry or Thompson for an open shot. He wasn’t seeing those plays early in the season. We were stopping our offense because he was catching and holding. With plays like that, he’s beginning to get better.
Prior to Christmas, they defeated the Trail Blazers 126-106, with Kuminga dishing out a season-high five assists. He has accumulated ten assists in his last three games.
“He is still a young player with limited foundational experience, so there are many plays where you just have to show him where the box-out is, where the cut is, and where the proper position to be,” Kerr said.
Kuminga appears impatient in his remarks. Kerr, though, doesn’t give up.
Kerr remarked, “He’s done a great job of really embracing coaching.” “We’re going to keep coaching him, making sure he plays the right plays at the right times.”
