The shorthanded Golden State Warriors needed a win against the Clippers, and they got one. While Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green all contributed, one young player really proved himself – Jonathan Kuminga.
After the game, Steph Curry gave massive praise to Kuminga’s performance, calling him a dog on defense.
“He’s just a dog on defense, and when he’s communicating and physical on the ball, using his athleticism, he can be a real disruption out there,” Curry said. “Offensively, we had a certain gameplan based on how the Clippers like to guard us and he knocked down shots that were right there for him, ball-swinging and taking the open ones.”
It wasn’t just Steph Curry who gave praise to Kuminga, Draymond Green also did as well. Receiving praise from Steph Curry is one thing, but getting it from the team’s defensive vocal leader of the last decade is another.
“We need him to just compete on the defensive end,” Green said. “His physical attributes can be overbearing on the defensive end as it is. You add the effort and the want to play defense, and it turns into a monster. He was incredibly tonight, on both ends of the floor.”
If the Warriors want to have any chance at being a decent team, they’re going to need contributions and development from their younger players every single night. What Jonathan Kuminga showed last night was the blueprint.
