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

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

Post#581 » by tarantism » Mon Nov 15, 2021 3:21 pm

They've been running some Draymond actions for him and he's looked competent doing it. He was the guy I wanted in the draft but I had no idea that he has the vision and passing skills that he does.

Also there was a nice moment last night where they ran Steph around a Kum screen on the right wing and then as Steph popped out JK flashed to the basket. The Hornets covered Steph so Dray zipped it to Kuminga for the layup. Just a beautiful way to utilize the skill sets of all three players right there, definitely repeatable and will be a nightmare for defenses as JK gets more experienced.

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Melo and amare should thrive in this offense. If Jeremy Tyler and cole Aldridge looked that good in summer league then us knick fans have a lot to be excited about. Make room for all the bandwagoners when we take off
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Re: Warriors select Jonathan Kuminga with the 7th pick of the 2021 NBA Draft 

Post#582 » by watch1958 » Mon Nov 15, 2021 3:23 pm

I kinda hope they don’t focus too much on developing a 3. It would be nice, but so would a Richaun-style 60%+ 12 footer.
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Re: Warriors select Jonathan Kuminga with the 7th pick of the 2021 NBA Draft 

Post#583 » by watch1958 » Mon Nov 15, 2021 3:24 pm

tarantism wrote:They've been running some Draymond actions for him and he's looked competent doing it. He was the guy I wanted in the draft but I had no idea that he has the vision and passing skills that he does.

Also there was a nice moment last night where they ran Steph around a Kum screen on the right wing and then as Steph popped out JK flashed to the basket. The Hornets covered Steph so Dray zipped it to Kuminga for the layup. Just a beautiful way to utilize the skill sets of all three players right there, definitely repeatable and will be a nightmare for defenses as JK gets more experienced.

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He sets nice screens too.
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Re: Warriors select Jonathan Kuminga with the 7th pick of the 2021 NBA Draft 

Post#584 » by tarantism » Mon Nov 15, 2021 3:31 pm

watch1958 wrote:
tarantism wrote:They've been running some Draymond actions for him and he's looked competent doing it. He was the guy I wanted in the draft but I had no idea that he has the vision and passing skills that he does.

Also there was a nice moment last night where they ran Steph around a Kum screen on the right wing and then as Steph popped out JK flashed to the basket. The Hornets covered Steph so Dray zipped it to Kuminga for the layup. Just a beautiful way to utilize the skill sets of all three players right there, definitely repeatable and will be a nightmare for defenses as JK gets more experienced.

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He sets nice screens too.


My bad. I was going from memory. Iggy was the decision maker and Kuminga got stripped on the drive. Steph recovered the ball and fed Kum inside for a layup, which he made. A nice action either way though, and something I'm sure we'll see more of.

He's a good off ball defender too. On the prior play the Warriors employed a zone and he switched nicely a few times, covered two for a second (Hayward in the corner and Plumlee in the dunker spot), attacked the pass and forced a turnover. He's made a bunch of little plays like that which result in positive plays or turnovers in the past few games. Combine that kind of awareness with his physical tools and ability to mirror ball handlers and we might really have an excellent defensive player here at the very least.
Melo and amare should thrive in this offense. If Jeremy Tyler and cole Aldridge looked that good in summer league then us knick fans have a lot to be excited about. Make room for all the bandwagoners when we take off
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Re: Warriors select Jonathan Kuminga with the 7th pick of the 2021 NBA Draft 

Post#585 » by Badly Browned » Tue Nov 16, 2021 1:08 am

watch1958 wrote:I kinda hope they don’t focus too much on developing a 3. It would be nice, but so would a Richaun-style 60%+ 12 footer.


He'll need to be able to hit wide open catch and shoot 3s. He probably shouldn't be spending too much time trying to develop a pull up 3 though.

Otherwise, he should be blowing by opposing bigs or outmuscling smalls to the rim. So if anything, his shooting focus should probably be Free Throw shooting.
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Re: Warriors select Jonathan Kuminga with the 7th pick of the 2021 NBA Draft 

Post#586 » by sonnyhill » Tue Nov 16, 2021 3:14 am

Marcus Thompson of The Athletic wrote a nice piece on the Warriors's plan for Kuminga today:

Thompson: The Warriors’ plan for Jonathan Kuminga has been revealed
By Marcus Thompson II Nov 14, 2021

CHARLOTTE — The Warriors were up three, inside of 10 minutes in the game. Charlotte point guard LaMelo Ball was dribbling on the left wing with Damion Lee defending. Ball called for a screen. He specifically wanted one from Jalen McDaniels, who was standing on the right low block. Why Daniels? Because he was being defended by Warriors rookie Jonathan Kuminga. Ball preferred that matchup.

It was exactly how Juan Toscano-Anderson told Kuminga this would go. He had to be ready. Locked in. Focused. Because they would pick on him. They would see him as a weak link and go after him.

“Because they did the same thing to me,” Toscano-Anderson said, “until they realized I could defend.”

Ball should’ve learned. In the second quarter, he had Kuminga on him. At 6-foot-8, a solid 210 pounds, and with a wingspan of 6-foot-11, Kuminga was quite the obstacle. Next thing Ball knew, he was on the ground, diving on the ball and eventually turning it over as Kuminga smothered him.

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But Ball didn’t learn. So he essentially summoned Kuminga to come guard him. And after weaving around the McDaniels screen, he tried to blow past Kuminga. But the rookie was alert. He pressed up to close the space, crouched in his defensive stance and relied on his large frame to cut off Ball’s vision. When the Hornets guard tried to cross over in front of him, Kuminga’s wingspan showed again. He knocked the ball away and forced the turnover.

“I have no doubt in my mind that he can check just about anybody,” Draymond Green said. “He has the size, has the strength, has the quickness, has the length. Everything you want in a defender, he kind of has. So he’s gonna be a helluva defender. As he figures out angles and figures out what guys like to get to, all those different things, he’ll continue to get better and better. I love that he’s taking on those challenges. You’ll see some guys shy away in moments like that. He’s not shying away from those challenges at all. And it’s beautiful to see.”

Another challenge he doesn’t shy away from, which helps inform why the Warriors can throw him on dynamic guards, is Steph Curry. The Warriors star said Kuminga likes the challenge of chasing around one of the game’s greatest offensive players ever.

“Even though I get him sometimes, he’s blocked my shot a bunch of times from the perimeter,” said Curry, who had an uncharacteristically rough game in his hometown, with 24 points on 22 shots, including 3-for-13 shooting from 3. “Because he has such a long wingspan and he’s pretty capable of moving a lot of different directions with his feet.”

The Warriors are creating a monster. He’s being groomed, indoctrinated, molded. In the No. 7 pick, they see a defensive force, a weapon they can use now while also laying the foundation for a two-way centerpiece in their future core.

Sunday night, Kuminga’s 9:50 of action made a 106-102 loss at Charlotte a tad easier to swallow. He finished with nine points on 4-of-6 shooting, with five rebounds and two steals. The Warriors outscored the host Hornets by 11 when he was on the floor. And when the Warriors left the floor, it was clear what their intentions are for their top pick and how well it seems to be working.

Kuminga’s play in Charlotte comes on the heels of his brow-raising performance in Friday’s win over Chicago. He played 16 minutes, scored eight points — four of them on two dunks that gave a glimpse of his explosiveness — and matched up against DeMar DeRozan. Perhaps the most impressive thing he did, after biting on a pump fake and committing a foul, was to stay disciplined against a savvy veteran like DeRozan.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr wants him on the court defending guards because Kuminga has a knack for not fouling. He trusts his athleticism and positioning, so he doesn’t have to reach. And one of the tenets of the Warriors’ defense is to defend without fouling. So Kerr matched Kuminga up against Ball, an even trickier cover as Ball is a point guard with a more elusive handle and a shiftier style. But Kuminga was still effective. And the project the Warriors have been working on behind closed doors was ready to be revealed. Their top pick of the 2021 draft, which they got from Minnesota in the Andrew Wiggins trade, is going to contribute this year. Because of his defense.

“I’ve been impressed,” Kevon Looney said. “Usually with young guys, the last thing they pick up is the defensive end. But he’s been great on the ball, even good off the ball. He picks up things really fast. And JK is a freak athletic. I wish I could be athletic like him.”

This isn’t truly breaking news, as the Warriors have lauded Kuminga’s defensive potential since he fell to them at No. 7. But the novel element is that he’d crack the rotation with defense, and how quickly he’s become viable on that end.

The way Kuminga played for the Warriors in Summer League made him look like an offense-first guy. A lot of his impact was creating off the dribble and looking for his shot from the outside. That impression made him seem more like a project, as it is clear his offense would need a lot of work before he could be a reliable NBA scorer. The presence of veterans, and Kuminga’s lack of minutes in preseason and early on the regular season, suggested he was a ways away. And that the Warriors would take their time.

But the process has been sped up because of Kuminga. He has a steady influx of people telling him what’s important and keeping him encouraged. Director of player development Jama Mahlalela on the court. Manager of team development Mujtaba Elgoodah off the court. Veterans Green, Toscano-Anderson, Looney and Andre Iguodala in the locker room. He has benefitted from witnessing Toscano-Anderso, Gary Payton and Damion Lee scrape and claw for every minute, staying ready for their moment.

The people who work with him quickly point out how some of the narratives shaped about him during the draft process are coming back wrong. During the draft, Kuminga’s work ethic was questioned. So was his basketball IQ. So was his ego. Even the way he carries himself — from his drip to his demeanor — suggests Kuminga believes he’s a star. Behind the scenes, though, Kuminga has been violating stereotypes and defying preconceived notions.

He has adjusted to the difficulty of not playing, putting in the work instead of pouting, even while other members of his draft class are making headlines and stacking up minutes. He has embraced the emphasis on the little things, the unheralded things, that get him on the court. He stays in his lane well instead of forcing matters. He has remained under control on the court, filtering his game to fit his mission.

He is in this position because of his feel for the game, because of his coachability, because of his humility, as much as because of his considerable talent.

After the game, I tried to catch Kuminga on his way out, to ask him a couple of questions. But he couldn’t stop. He told me we’d talk tomorrow because he couldn’t miss the bus. He couldn’t be the one holding up the show.

“I’m a rookie,” he said, as he scurried off. “I’m just a rookie.”

These past few games, in which he was thrown into the rotation, are as much a reward for his strides as anything. He still gets lost on defense. He is very clearly a rookie who is processing instead of reacting with his instincts. But his focus and his willingness to grind are endearing him to the coaches and his teammates.

The potential is grand. If he becomes defensively who the Warriors believe he can be, that gives the defense size and athleticism to add to its acumen. Imagine a playoff series in which the Warriors can throw out Wiggins, Iguodala, Payton, Toscano-Anderson and Kuminga. Imagine the defensive lineups they can throw out there while still having someone who can, as Green said, get downhill and put pressure on the rim.

Oh yeah, the Warriors have big plans for Kuminga. In Charlotte, those plans became even clearer.

“He has all the physical gifts of being able to be versatile, play at different paces defensively,” Curry said. “He’s shown an amazing capability of being able to guard the ball and keep it in front and challenge shots — and then turn that into offense where he can sprint the floor, attack the rim. He’s done a lot with his minutes the last three games. It’s nice to have a guy with his size that can guard point guards and guard all the way through probably a four, some fives, and then make them guard him on the other hand.”
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Re: Warriors select Jonathan Kuminga with the 7th pick of the 2021 NBA Draft 

Post#587 » by floppymoose » Tue Nov 16, 2021 10:17 am

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

Post#588 » by Onus » Tue Nov 16, 2021 3:36 pm

Kuminga has been impressive in his limited minutes. He’s passed jta in the rotation much quicker than I anticipated.
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Re: Warriors select Jonathan Kuminga with the 7th pick of the 2021 NBA Draft 

Post#589 » by WESCO » Tue Nov 16, 2021 4:23 pm

I cannot wait to see how he does on Durant and harden today!!!
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Re: Warriors select Jonathan Kuminga with the 7th pick of the 2021 NBA Draft 

Post#590 » by ChuckDurn » Tue Nov 16, 2021 4:34 pm

WESCO wrote:I cannot wait to see how he does on Durant and harden today!!!

I don't think Kuminga's going to get a lot of time on the court today, but I am fascinated to see if he'll be matched against Durant during the time he is playing. From a physical basis, he profiles the best (compared to anybody else on the roster) to make things difficult for Durant, but obviously Durant faces and has beaten the best defenders for years, and has every trick in the bag to exploit young players.

And it's waaaaaaay to early to seriously think this way, but on the low-percentage chance that the Warriors meet the Nets in June, having a guy who could make things tough on Durant would be really helpful.
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Re: Warriors select Jonathan Kuminga with the 7th pick of the 2021 NBA Draft 

Post#591 » by Impuniti » Tue Nov 16, 2021 4:42 pm

ChuckDurn wrote:
WESCO wrote:I cannot wait to see how he does on Durant and harden today!!!

I don't think Kuminga's going to get a lot of time on the court today, but I am fascinated to see if he'll be matched against Durant during the time he is playing. From a physical basis, he profiles the best (compared to anybody else on the roster) to make things difficult for Durant, but obviously Durant faces and has beaten the best defenders for years, and has every trick in the bag to exploit young players.

And it's waaaaaaay to early to seriously think this way, but on the low-percentage chance that the Warriors meet the Nets in June, having a guy who could make things tough on Durant would be really helpful.

I hope Kerr tests him out. Put him out there for 3 minutes in the first quarter. If he continues doing well, give me 20 minutes. If not, keep it at 3 minutes.
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Re: Warriors select Jonathan Kuminga with the 7th pick of the 2021 NBA Draft 

Post#592 » by WESCO » Tue Nov 16, 2021 7:10 pm

ChuckDurn wrote:
WESCO wrote:I cannot wait to see how he does on Durant and harden today!!!

I don't think Kuminga's going to get a lot of time on the court today, but I am fascinated to see if he'll be matched against Durant during the time he is playing. From a physical basis, he profiles the best (compared to anybody else on the roster) to make things difficult for Durant, but obviously Durant faces and has beaten the best defenders for years, and has every trick in the bag to exploit young players.

And it's waaaaaaay to early to seriously think this way, but on the low-percentage chance that the Warriors meet the Nets in June, having a guy who could make things tough on Durant would be really helpful.


16 min against bulls. 10 against hornets.

Like Kerr said. Kid is "earning his minutes".

I definitely see him getting 10 minutes minimum
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Re: Warriors select Jonathan Kuminga with the 7th pick of the 2021 NBA Draft 

Post#593 » by HiRez » Tue Nov 16, 2021 8:48 pm

I don't know if Kerr wants to throw him in against KD, that's just cruel, but I want to see this kid on the court. He's looking better than I thought he would this soon. When he stopped chucking and concentrated on driving and defense, he looks 10X better.

Outside of Steph, I can't remember when we had a player this dynamic (potentially) on the team. If he can stay out of foul trouble and not turn the ball over, he's going to play.
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Re: Warriors select Jonathan Kuminga with the 7th pick of the 2021 NBA Draft 

Post#594 » by Flash Falcon X » Tue Nov 16, 2021 9:42 pm

Nice footwork.

He'll get the ball at the 3 point line, drive in at a weird angle, but then he'll do some crafty spin move with a long stride that positions him right at the rim for an easy layup. Might end up being a player who despite needing work on his 3s, could still get you some easy buckets at the rim when the team's outside shooting is struggling.
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Re: Warriors select Jonathan Kuminga with the 7th pick of the 2021 NBA Draft 

Post#595 » by SpreeChokeJob » Wed Nov 17, 2021 4:16 pm

Really impressed with Kuminga. Was worried initially that he was sulking about garbage minutes, but he completely turned it around from looking like a 19 year old to where Wiggins is now in his career. His learning ability is very fast.

It’s only a matter of him getting some more experience and some instruction from those other guys and he will be really good player at the minimum.
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Re: Warriors select Jonathan Kuminga with the 7th pick of the 2021 NBA Draft 

Post#596 » by ILOVEIT » Wed Nov 17, 2021 4:39 pm

His "project" aspect is not because he lacks touch, footwork or NBA IQ thus far. That's a big difference from most projects.
His rawness is about just not quite knowing where to be at times.

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

Post#597 » by whatisacenter » Wed Nov 17, 2021 4:41 pm

I love that Kuminga really seems to be buying in to what the coaching staff wants from him. He is already able to stay in front of the other teams top players on the perimeter and looks like he can play anywhere on the court. If the team can improve his shooting like the Spurs were able to do with Kawhi the sky is the limit for this young man.
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Re: Warriors select Jonathan Kuminga with the 7th pick of the 2021 NBA Draft 

Post#598 » by and1GS » Wed Nov 17, 2021 5:01 pm

ILOVEIT wrote:His "project" aspect is not because he lacks touch, footwork or NBA IQ thus far. That's a big difference from most projects.
His rawness is about just not quite knowing where to be at times.

One last thing about him I love....NEVER...in a hurry.


GREAT point. The word that pops to mind is composed. He gets the ball and doesn't do the Jeremy Lin freakout or quickly swing the ball low to create space. He carefully surveys and makes a decision.

Could the decisions be better? Absolutely. Could he be smarter about using his fouls? Definitely. But it says something that he's really only making effort and playbook mistakes while showcasing high level skills.

There are some plays where he's clearly lost out there, but that will come in time.
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Re: Warriors select Jonathan Kuminga with the 7th pick of the 2021 NBA Draft 

Post#599 » by shazam_guy » Thu Nov 18, 2021 7:48 am

Yeah, I'm very positive on him too. Didn't know him too well until late in the draft scouting, then started watching his G-League stuff and saw he was no one-trick pony, could actually pass fairly well but just made bad decisions sometimes in the heat of play. I'm pretty sure they'll be coaching up his shooting. The Kawhi comparison is scary, because so very, very premature, but also because we do see glimmers of what might be All-NBA potential.
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Re: Warriors select Jonathan Kuminga with the 7th pick of the 2021 NBA Draft 

Post#600 » by WarriorGM » Thu Nov 18, 2021 11:49 am

Kuminga's played 8 games and it seems he's been good enough that if it was last year he may have already made the rotation. I may use that and a few games more as a benchmark when assessing Wiseman when he becomes available to see his suitability for playing a role this year.

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