"Am I the Problem?"- Jonathan Kuminga

Kuminga doesn’t need a different situation, just a renewed outlook on his current one.

A 22-year-old who averaged 20 points a game in the WCF semi-finals is without an NBA home.

We’re so far into the dog days of the NBA offseason that football season is rearing its head and NBA Twitter is grasping at straws. All there is to discuss is Men’s health claiming Luka has a 42-inch vertical and is “better shape than ever” … sure.

The Kuminga saga¹ is the one real story that remains, and it’s dragging out worse than TV shows that should’ve quit while they were ahead².

The short of it: Kuminga thinks he’s a superstar bound by the chains of Steve Kerr and Warrior basketball; he wants the money/opportunity that comes with that. I’m almost positive if this were 2015, Kuminga would’ve been offered a 5-year, $80 million-dollar deal³. But it’s 10 years later and even the dumbest front offices aren’t making deals like that. In 2025 NBA money, that would be around what he believes he’s worth — which isn’t his value even when factoring in potential.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with believing in yourself as a player, the NBA definitely requires irrational confidence. That may be true; nevertheless, there’s a big reality pill that Kuminga and his camp needs to swallow — his skillset and trajectory as a player don’t indicate even a whiff of stardom.

It’s not all bad… right?

It’s important to preface again that Jonathan Kuminga is 22 years-old, his age being by far his best asset. There’s room for growth in his game but as we approach his 5th year in the league... the improvement I’ve seen is an adjustment to NBA speed and physicality — not to his skillset.

His archetype now: Shot-creating wing who requires high usage that brings about poor efficiency. It’s not all bad — not by any standard — Kuminga has a lot of things going for him that other guys don’t.

For example, he’s an A-tier athlete and he’s put it on display with some monster finishes like this one over Rudy Gobert.

Kuminga fights through the Frenchman’s physicality, gets under the rim, and finishes through the contest with a standing vertical dunk. There are few wings in the league that can pull this off. Glimpses like this emphasize the high points of Kuminga’s game.

In the round two series, Curry’s hamstring injury and the creature formerly known as Playoff Jimmy was out of sight — Steve Kerr handing the keys of the offense to Kuminga was the epitome of reluctance. The opportunity that Kuminga had groaned for was finally upon him — and if you glance over his box score from the series and factor in his age, it’s worth getting excited over.

Clearly what I have to say about him isn’t necessarily all flowers and rainbows; after re-watching all Kuminga’s minutes against MN — there are positives to pull that aren’t just stuck in the vacuum of this series.

• The most creative and skilled part of his game lies in the mid-range. Utilizing his ability to elevate by rising above wing matchups and bigs on switches in the pick & rol, allowing for cleaner looks. He alos has some tough shot-making to his game and can make it look relatively easy. He shot around 50% in this zone in this past NBA playoffs. ⁴

• He isn’t a light wing at 6’7 225, so when he gets switched onto a guard — he can move defenders out the way in the post or on drives. He handles physicality well and plays through contact, meaning he gets to the line often. 92nd percentile in drive foul draw rate, and 94th percentile in fouls drawn per 75 possessions — he gets downhill at a high level⁵. He also has a foundation of moves he uses when he gets there as well.

• Obvious he’s great in the open floor because of his athleticism, he can fill lanes, catch lobs, and run the break.

Kuminga can be a good NBA player, but I have pretty firm doubts in terms of his game maturing over time.

The why.

Kuminga’s brand/caliber of basketball screams late-2000s one-time all-star, he doesn't do enough without the ball to be a third option or role player and what he does with the ball isn't good enough to be a #1 or #2.

When he has the ball on the perimeter, it’s easy to give him space and play drop coverage in the pick & roll. His first step is average, and he doesn’t separate with his handle. On top of that, Kuminga doesn’t see the floor well when his offensive game is clicking. I’ve always been a believer that if you’re a good offensive player, when you're having an on-night — it should benefit your teammates, not just yourself.

I can understand Kerr’s frustration with him, because even in a highly active offense, Kuminga is a stagnant player. Someone who doesn’t move enough without the ball and kills your spacing because he’s bottom of the league outside shooter, it’s baffling NBA GMs aren’t jumping at the chance to offer him a deal. It’s because of how teams defend him on the perimeter — it’s one step-above Ben Simmons treatment. His three-point shooting hasn’t seen any improvements — over the course of four seasons with a similar volume each year, this past year was his worst at 30%. He’s not a trustworthy regular season catch and shoot guy, and he’s livid about his playoff minutes? All this to say, it makes him feel more like a negative than a positive factor on O.

On the other side of the ball, things aren’t much better. Kuminga isn’t a lockdown defender, he’s a lazy one — using his physical tools to reach far too much on the ball and lacks IQ off the ball. He’s not the wing you can trust to go guard one of the opponent’s primary scorers. With his natural ability, he should be a disruptive defender. The expectation isn’t an All-Defensive team; it’s the bare minimum of playing smart and hard.

Kuminga doesn’t need to fix every flaw in his game, it needs a bit of TLC and a dose of introspection.

Taking a long look in the mirror.

There are two players that come to mind who have shifted their career trajectory that Kuminga can learn a thing or two from: (coincidentally, he’s been teammates with both guys) Andrew Wiggins and Jimmy Butler.

Wiggs was a highly touted prospect out the draft and was selected #1 overall in 2014. Yet, Wiggins never panned out to the superstar that many projected him to be — but Andrew Wiggins isn’t a bust. A four-time 20 PPG scorer, one time All-Star, and an NBA champion. A slept-on role player and a real contributor to winning whom few can speak negatively about when it comes to his NBA career.

Jimmy Buckets had an opposite career shift in comparison, Butler was the last pick of the first round in the 2011 draft — Chicago drafted him to hopefully see him fill a defensive bench role as he developed… three years later Jimmy was voted the league’s Most Improved Player and was an All-Star. Jimmy, though he’s been a bit of a malcontent in the past, is undoubtedly a HOFer and a career winner which can’t be stripped from him. Not to mention 5x All-NBA and carried the Miami Heat to two finals appearances.

Two things these NBA vets have in common is self-awareness. I’m sure there became a point in time where Andrew Wiggins decided it was okay that he wasn’t a superstar. Then decided he’d run the support group for it. “Hi, I’m (blank), I was the #1 pick. Just because I wasn’t a superstar, doesn’t make me a bust.” There credo could be “Being a winning player is more than enough.”

Same goes for Jimmy Butler, instead it was exceeding expectation. Jimmy, countless times has claimed himself to be a star even when GMs and coaches doubted — just ask Jeff Teague. Jimmy, like Kuminga, started in a confined role. Which he accepted, then ascended above — forcing coaches to gameplan around him. He was no longer a role-player, he bet on himself and proved front offices wrong.

Kuminga expects star treatment when he’s yet to prove it. The current shape of the league takes draft gambles based on potential, not big free-agency deals.

Until Kuminga decides he needs to prove himself through becoming more of a two-way, efficient player or accept the fate of his likely ceiling: high-end role-player on a winning team or 20+PPG scorer on a losing one.

Oh, wise Giddhoops… why are you taking time out of your summer to trash on a 22-year-old? Well, you see, my humble 35 subscribers…

No unaccomplished player should be a walking microaggression.

Jonathan Kuminga fleeing the Golden State system and adding years/opportunity could be the right mix. That could possibly turn him into something close to a two-way player who knocks down outside shots consistently. If that’s done maybe he will be a top 30 NBA player — but as of now, a better solution starts with a perspective shift.

1. If you can claim it’s interesting enough to label it that.

2. Prison Break, Dexter, Blacklist to name a few.

3. It doesn’t sound like much, but back then that would’ve slotted you around the top 15 for highest paid players.

4. If you think I’ve been a hater this article, this is a generous stat pull from me. His regular season % from mid-range was 24%.

Wiggins, Bogut, Risacher probably, Elton Brand, Kenyon Martin.

5. It’s unfortunate he lacks touch.