Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga faces the toughest challenge of his NBA career yet, with NBA writer Mark Medina believing that next season will be make-or-break for the former No. 7th overall pick in the 2021 Draft.
NBA news – Golden State Warriors
Mark Medina previously told GIVEMESPORT that he believes Jonathan Kuminga will have a break-out season next year due to the Warriors leaning towards opening up more playing time for the former lottery pick.
However, it now appears that this season could be make-or-break for the power forward, with his former teammate, Jordan Poole, being shown the door after a lackluster season despite having signed a four-year extension with the Dubs only a year ago.
Leading up to the 2023 NBA Draft that took place in June, rumors were flying around the NBA that the Warriors explored the possibility of trading the 6’7” forward, with conflicting reports arising.
The Athletic’s Anthony Slater reported that a team inquired about the availability of Kuminga, but that the Warriors weren’t interested in shopping their 2021 former lottery pick.
However, Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports revealed that serious trade conversations had taken place between the Warriors and Indiana Pacers over a package involving the No. 7 overall pick, which also included Kuminga. Such deal never transpired, though.
Whilst it is now expected that the Warriors will keep a hold of the Congolese-born forward, if he does fail to impress this season, he could find himself suffering a fate similar to that of his former teammates in Poole and James Wiseman, both of whom are young talents that were exchanged for solid veteran pieces.
Will Jonathan Kuminga play a more crucial role for the Warriors next season?
When asked whether he thinks that Jonathan Kuminga will take another leap in terms of his development next season, Medina believes that he will, but that this season could be his last chance to prove his worth to the Warriors.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the journalist said: “I think he’s going to take a leap. It’s just a matter of how high of a leap that is.”
“This is ultimately a make-or-break season for Jonathan Kuminga because we’ve seen him ride two tracks here. One – the highlight reels. That 60 point performance in the Pro-Am game and NBA games, having a lot of great dunks, having a lot of great blocks, showing his athleticism.”
“The other track has been some boneheaded mistakes, not being aware of defensive rotations, not having the greatest chemistry with teammates. I think that he is a good person. He means well, he puts in the work, he wants to learn, but it’s just a matter of putting all those puzzle pieces together.”
Time for Kuminga to take a leap of faith
Kuminga was ranked as the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2021 high school class, and opted to forgo college and instead sign with the NBA G League Ignite.
In his two seasons in the G-League, he averaged 15.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game in 32. 6 minutes of action.
However, since he entered the NBA he has been unable to match such numbers.
Per Statmuse, in his first two seasons with the Warriors, he has played 137 games of which he has only started 28 of them. He has failed to record a double-digit scoring average with a career-average of only 9.6 points per game, to go with 3.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists.
Should Kuminga’s own expectations not be met in regard to his expected role increase on the Warriors roster, then he may force his own trade away, per The Athletic’s Anthony Slater and Shams Charania.
With the Warriors poised to give Jonathan Kuminga more playing opportunities next season due to their depth and size issues in the front-court, he should be looking to take full advantage of his opportunities when on the floor.
The sky is the limit; Jonathan Kuminga just has to take the necessary strides to finally take that leap and become the player he was projected to be when the Golden State Warriors chose to draft him No. 7 overall in 2021.