The Golden State Warriors have made some notable personnel changes to their roster as they look to gear up for an NBA championship charge next season. Although third-year guard Jonathan Kuminga’s name has been floated in trade rumors, NBA writer Mark Medina expects him to remain on the team for the entire 2023-24 season.
NBA news – Golden State Warriors
The new-look Golden State Warriors look set to offer Congolese forward Jonathan Kuminga an increased role on the team next season as they attempt to strengthen their depth in the front-court.
Their current roster is guard-heavy with the newly-acquired Chris Paul joining Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Gary Payton II and Cory Joseph, as well as their first-round 2023 NBA Draft pick Brandin Podziemski.
With no out-right Center on the roster, the Warriors turned to Dario Saric in free-agency, who offers stretch-five capabilities, by penning him to a one-year deal, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Last season, the Warriors predominantly used Draymond Green and Kevon Looney as makeshift centers in their rotations to great effect, but with the opportunity for Kuminga to get some more minutes under his belt, this could work out in Dub Nation’s favor.
The Athletic’s Anthony Slater and Shams Charania reported that the Warriors found it somewhat ‘difficult’ to fit the 20-year-old forward into the rotation at times last season.
However, multiple reports tip Kuminga to finally have his break-out season in the NBA, and his Warriors career could depend on it.
For now at least, it seems that the Warriors are no longer considering trading the forward, despite reports from Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer leading up to the 2023 NBA Draft that the San Francisco team held ‘serious’ trade conversations regarding the 20-year-old.
t’s now up to Kuminga to take his opportunity and utilize his minutes on the court, showing not just the Warriors, but the entire league what he is really about.
Is Kuminga’s role on the Warriors safe?
Medina believes that the Warriors will not be looking to trade any more of their current roster, and that they are gearing up for the new season with what they currently already have, meaning that Kuminga is likely to see out the entire 2023-24 season.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the journalist said…
“Right now the Warriors think their roster is what it’s going to be for throughout the season, where they’re leaning on Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green as usual.
“They’ll lean on some more veterans like a Chris Paul, and then seeing if Jonathan Kuminga can take that next step forward. But if I had to guess, he’ll be with them the entire season. But again, that’s always fluid too.”
Could the Warriors win the NBA again with the help of Kuminga?
Playing only two seasons so far in the NBA, Kuminga’s numbers have steadily been on the rise, although they are somewhat short of his production in the NBA G-League, likely attributed to a lack of minutes as a role player on a stacked Warriors roster.
Last season, as per Statmuse, Kuminga posted 9.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 20.8 minutes per game, shooting 52.5% from the field and 37.0% from the three-point line, all of which were improvements upon his rookie season numbers.
If Kuminga receives a similar amount of minutes that he did in his two seasons in the G-League next season, then his numbers on the court should reflect that, and so it should be expected that his on-court production should also increase.
The hope is that with the new personnel on the team, Kuminga can finally get his opportunity on the court to live up to his potential coming out of the G-League, rewarding both his head coach Steve Kerr and his Warriors teammates by helping the team to win games.
However, Medina previously told GIVEMESPORT that this season could be ‘make or break’ for the forward, and if he fails to impress by the end of the season, his time in San Francisco could be short-lived, with the Warriors having already shown that they are unafraid to trade away young talent for ‘win-now’ players.
Nevertheless, should he live up to the hype and the high expectations on his shoulders early on in the season, not only will trade talks go entirely out of the window, but the Golden State Warriors’ championship aspirations for 2023-24 may well truly become alive.