Warriors select Jonathan Kuminga with the 7th pick of the 2021 NBA Draft

[thunderdunk]

[/quote]When the NBA announced that they were going to take high school players in the GL I wondered how they would handle developing those players for the draft and the answer was ... they didn't. It essentially became an all-star game type of system and there was very little real teaching.[/quote]

Exactly... So they drafted a 6'7" kid who can't shoot and who hasn't had any real coaching. SMH.

[Samurai]

Kuminga went by himself to dinner with Bob and company and he speaks more than 1 language. Apparently Kuminga's representation knows how to give Bob a Kevin... we're not trading this one.

The "and company" group that traveled to Miami with Bob to watch Kuminga's workout and take him to dinner included Joe Lacob, Kirk Lacob, Larry Harris, Mike Dunleavy and Kenny Atkinson. Atkinson, of course, is the new hire to Kerr's staff and has an extensive background in player development. Myers specifically asked Atkinson what he wanted to see; Atkinson said he wanted to see how he reacts to pressure and how he protects the rim. So he put Kuminga through some specific drills and said that Kuminga handled it well. With Kuminga, Moody and Wiseman, our new development gurus (Atkinson, Jama Mahlalela, and Dejan Milojevic) will be working some serious overtime!

[KevinMcreynolds]

What's funny about him being so raw vs the "win now" pick of Wagner is Kuminga is already better than Wagner at a lot of things.

handles
breaking down defenders
getting into the lane and being physical
finishing in the lane
rebounding
running the floor
athleticism

Wagner is basically a better defender and outside shooter...and we got that with Moody.

[GSWFan1994]

My guess is that they’re going to look at him as a long-term project who they handle very differently than they did Wiseman. (And FWIW, I think they’ll change the approach with Wiseman to be similar to what they’ll now do with Kuminga.)

Last year with Wiseman, they basically said “we’re not going to be a contender, and we want you to experiment by trying to do everything (primarily on offense, but somewhat on defense as well)”. Not focused on any specific area.

I think with Kuminga (and now with Wiseman), they’re going to take the approach of saying “in 2023-24, we want you to be able to do everything. But for 2021-22, we’re going to have you only focus on these 2-3 things on offense, and 2-3 things on defense. We want you to master those, and we’re going to use you in those roles (and not much else) this season. In 2022-23, we’re going to add 2-3 things on each side of the ball, and you’ll get more time, but you still won’t be fully optimized. But we want you to master those, and to know when to use those skills / moves, as opposed to what you learned last year. And in 2023-24, you’re going to get the rest of the package, and we expect you to be operating at the role of a very productive, net-positive starter.”

Having 3 really experienced player development coaches, whose experience Kerr will clearly respect, will probably help them to keep the focus this way. But net-net, I can easily see Kuminga getting some limited run this year with the big club, though I would expect him to spend a lot of time in Santa Cruz really focusing on a small number of skills.

That's great indeed, and I really hope they follow this path. Well done analysis.

By chance, did you see I replied to your PM, right?

Cheers!

[NeoWarriors]

When the NBA announced that they were going to take high school players in the GL I wondered how they would handle developing those players for the draft and the answer was ... they didn't. It essentially became an all-star game type of system and there was very little real teaching.

Exactly... So they drafted a 6'7" kid who can't shoot and who hasn't had any real coaching. SMH.

I think you should Google the NBA G League Ignite and see what their mission statement is.

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[Scoots1994]

When the NBA announced that they were going to take high school players in the GL I wondered how they would handle developing those players for the draft and the answer was ... they didn't. It essentially became an all-star game type of system and there was very little real teaching.[/quote]

Exactly... So they drafted a 6'7" kid who can't shoot and who hasn't had any real coaching. SMH.[/quote]

He was the right pick ... my comment was more that the NBA did a favor to those kids but didn't help the teams that took them.

[Scoots1994]

Kuminga went by himself to dinner with Bob and company and he speaks more than 1 language. Apparently Kuminga's representation knows how to give Bob a Kevin... we're not trading this one.

The "and company" group that traveled to Miami with Bob to watch Kuminga's workout and take him to dinner included Joe Lacob, Kirk Lacob, Larry Harris, Mike Dunleavy and Kenny Atkinson. Atkinson, of course, is the new hire to Kerr's staff and has an extensive background in player development. Myers specifically asked Atkinson what he wanted to see; Atkinson said he wanted to see how he reacts to pressure and how he protects the rim. So he put Kuminga through some specific drills and said that Kuminga handled it well. With Kuminga, Moody and Wiseman, our new development gurus (Atkinson, Jama Mahlalela, and Dejan Milojevic) will be working some serious overtime!

The NBA limits the amount of player coach interaction during the offseason ... which I hate.

[Scoots1994]

When the NBA announced that they were going to take high school players in the GL I wondered how they would handle developing those players for the draft and the answer was ... they didn't. It essentially became an all-star game type of system and there was very little real teaching.

Exactly... So they drafted a 6'7" kid who can't shoot and who hasn't had any real coaching. SMH.

I think you should Google the NBA G League Ignite and see what their mission statement is.

Sent from my Golden State Warriors Protoast Elite toaster using RealGM mobile app

Their goal is to help the players get drafted, which they did, and teach them how to be professional athletes (or at least enough to ace the interview).

They don't run an advanced NBA scheme and work on their fundamentals ... because those things won't help their draft stock.

The Ignite did their job, my point was that in doing that they don't help the teams that take those players much.

[FNQ]

Exactly... So they drafted a 6'7" kid who can't shoot and who hasn't had any real coaching. SMH.

I think you should Google the NBA G League Ignite and see what their mission statement is.

Sent from my Golden State Warriors Protoast Elite toaster using RealGM mobile app

Their goal is to help the players get drafted, which they did, and teach them how to be professional athletes (or at least enough to ace the interview).

They don't run an advanced NBA scheme and work on their fundamentals ... because those things won't help their draft stock.

The Ignite did their job, my point was that in doing that they don't help the teams that take those players much.

Ignite shows off tools, not BBIQ, because most teams in the lotto are looking for tools, believing they can teach BBIQ or integrate Oubre level intelligence into their system.

Also most teams in the lotto aren't super attached to their current system, so that kind of fit doesnt come up as much. Ignite is very helpful for some, but for Nix, it was probably a huge negative. He should have been drafted, and likely would have been if he went to a college team where there was a system, college vets, and a coach that would prioritize hiding his weaknesses

[SF_Warriors]

Kinda reminds me of dare I say, iguodala?

Iguodala has supreme BBIQ, I don't know if Kuminga can get there. He seems to be a good passer though, so he has some playmaking potential. He may end up as a mix of Andre and Dray.

I was referrring to their offensive game, which admittingly iguodala wasnt the most refined. Would be an absolute godsend for kuminga to have anywhere near the bball iq, which looks to be a weakness of his.

[Mob Byers]

JK is so shy during this press conference, Moody is talking for him on some of these questions

[shazam_guy]

Everything I've read about Kuminga makes it sound like he's a real good young man. Considers himself to be an example for Conglolese basketball, and wants more of his countrymen in the Association, so he's determined to succeed and rep Congo b-ball.

I like a kid with an agenda, especially one that isn't only about "Get rich, get honeys, hang with famous people."

[and1GS]

Really happy for the guy and pumped to have him on the team.

P.S. you have 30 games to put up big numbers or you're dead to most of us. And don't even think about getting injured or I'm giving up faster than you can get an X Ray.

[Onus]

He can’t be worse than poole’s first year can he?

[DonaldSanders]

He can’t be worse than poole’s first year can he?

I didn't realize until looking that Poole statistically was about as bad as Wiseman was that year as Wiseman was last year. Sure he played with worse players, but what a turn around!

I'll admit: I don't quite see what everyone else sees yet in Kuminga. I do see potential but I can't feel as sure as others seem to about how good he could end up being. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad we selected him, I just think it's more up in the air as to how good he'll be.

However he has more reasons to improve than most players with the overall low amount of time he's played in organized basketball. He's coming to a vet team that will support him and wants him (gotta feel good knowing Dray said to go get you). At the absolute minimum he is a good trade chip if a star should become available mid-season. At best he's going to be a beast, so definitely cool with this pick. I just can't gauge his abilities yet like some people seem to. We've had some really athletic players in the past who didn't pan out, it just seems so tough to gauge; however I'm glad we didn't quit on trying to develop players just because Wiseman was the wrong pick.

[Onus]

He can’t be worse than poole’s first year can he?

I didn't realize until looking that Poole statistically was about as bad as Wiseman was that year as Wiseman was last year. Sure he played with worse players, but what a turn around!

I'll admit: I don't quite see what everyone else sees yet in Kuminga. I do see potential but I can't feel as sure as others seem to about how good he could end up being. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad we selected him, I just think it's more up in the air as to how good he'll be.

However he has more reasons to improve than most players with the overall low amount of time he's played in organized basketball. He's coming to a vet team that will support him and wants him (gotta feel good knowing Dray said to go get you). At the absolute minimum he is a good trade chip if a star should become available mid-season. At best he's going to be a beast, so definitely cool with this pick. I just can't gauge his abilities yet like some people seem to. We've had some really athletic players in the past who didn't pan out, it just seems so tough to gauge; however I'm glad we didn't quit on trying to develop players just because Wiseman was the wrong pick.

It’s based on his tools. He’s 6’8” with a 7’ wingspan. He’s got great athleticism not quite elite. He’s physical meaning he can take hits and still finish. He’s only 18, so when he gets his man body/strength he could be huge. He’s got a good first step. If he ever learns to play basketball he’ll be able to either muscle his way to the hoop or create separation using his strength or blow by people with his first step just because he’s more athletic than the average player.

His baseline of skills portend to isolation scoring. He’s got a good enough handle and some pump fakes step throughs to beat players off the dribble that his athleticism allows him to do. He just needs time to put it altogether. It’s going to take a few years and a lot of work on his part but you’re drafting him based on what he can do when he puts it all together. And if he doesn’t he becomes a taller Stanley Johnson, an end of bench guy that can beat up 3rd stringers.

[thunderdunk]

I'm not saying that Wiseman was a bad pick. (In hindsight, anybody can say that he was the "wrong" pick since Ball looked outstanding in his first year.) I think he probably needs a couple more seasons to mature into a true NBA beast, if he gets/stays focused on becoming one. Hopefully he's been hitting the weight room hard, and working on all aspects of his game since the season ended. (Did he ever get together with Garnett?) Wiseman has a head start because he has height and length, combined with fluidity, that you just don't see every day. JK, at 6-7, not nearly so much. Even with a rough first year, I was never nervous when Wiseman went to the line. JK shoots the same percentage from the line as Ben Simmons. So he can't shoot from outside and he can't shoot from the line. Perfect combination for a forward in the NBA. Unless he suddenly starts shooting well, he'll never be able to stay on the floor.

[thunderdunk]

BTW -- I'm old enough the remember the Billy Owens fiasco... Don Nelson: "Billy's a scorer, not a shooter."

[NeoWarriors]

Exactly... So they drafted a 6'7" kid who can't shoot and who hasn't had any real coaching. SMH.

I think you should Google the NBA G League Ignite and see what their mission statement is.

Sent from my Golden State Warriors Protoast Elite toaster using RealGM mobile app

Their goal is to help the players get drafted, which they did, and teach them how to be professional athletes (or at least enough to ace the interview).

They don't run an advanced NBA scheme and work on their fundamentals ... because those things won't help their draft stock.

The Ignite did their job, my point was that in doing that they don't help the teams that take those players much.

Right. I was responding to that thunderdunk guy. The quotes we're kind of messed up.

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[thunderdunk]

"The Ignite did their job, my point was that in doing that they don't help the teams that take those players much."

Exactly. No argument here at all. So we've basically got an African kid one year removed from high school who can't shoot, and didn't spend the last year learning the fundamentals that he was missing. Did you watch the Brian Shaw interview before the draft? They asked him what Kuminga would need to work on. He said two things -- shooting, and learning what he needs to do the other 80% of the time that he doesn't have the ball in his hands. So, in other words, he needs to work on basically everything. Sounds great.