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Jonathan Kuminga’s brilliance was on display once again in the Golden State Warriors’ 123-116 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. Kuminga’s place in the Warriors hierarchy has been shaky over the years. However, if you ask Draymond Green, Kuminga's play could be what boosts them into the next echelon of contenders.
“Takes this team to another level,” Green explained during his postgame presser what Thursday night's version of Kuminga does to the Warriors. “He was so patient. Let the game come to him. I thought the biggest play he made was when he got it in the middle of the paint and kicked it out to Moses. That just shows growth.”
While Steph Curry once again led the charge, role players like Kuminga contributed plenty. In 25 minutes of action, Kuminga offered up 18 points, shooting 58.3 percent from the field, while collecting nine boards and dishing four assists.
Jonathan Kuminga is hitting his stride
Kuminga has always possessed eye-popping athleticism, but channeling that ability into tangible winning basketball has been difficult. Warriors basketball relies on an ability to read and react. Throughout the night, Kuminga fed shooters in motion, scored when the opportunity arose, and crashed the boards, while leading the bench in scoring.
“Luka, LeBron, everyone he got on, Austin Reeves that time. He was asking for those matchups. It says a lot,” Green remarked. “You know we challenged him in private, challenged him publicly to step up defensively and he did that. He was great offensively, but he was even better defensively.”
That last portion about Kuminga’s defense is what matters to Green more. Gary Payton Jr.'s injury has passed the burden on to Kuminga on the defensive end. If Kuminga can make the correct rotations and defend to Green’s lofty standards, they can go mano-y-mano with anyone in a head-to-head. On Friday night, the Warriors have an opportunity to pull closer to the Denver Nuggets, who are currently the Western Conference's three-seed.
If the Warriors are going to have a chance against more talented foes in the West, Kuminga has to deliver more performances like Thursday night's consistently. If Kuminga can continue to contribute through hustle plays and high-level defense, the Warriors could be a real problem in the postseason.
