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The Golden State Warriors are in one of the most enviable spots as a franchise in the NBA. Not only are they fresh off a championship victory against the Boston Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals, they are well set up for the future, with a young core led by Jordan Poole and Jonathan Kuminga ready to take over the core led by Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green.
Jonathan Kuminga's development, in particular, will be crucial, as the 7th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft has shown flashes of being an unstoppable scoring force. Rumors about Kuminga's work ethic and lack of discipline made rounds early in the offseason, but head coach Steve Kerr quickly put those concerns to rest.
In a podcast hosted by The Athletic's Tim Kawakami, Kerr revealed that he and GM Bob Myers were perplexed by the rumblings about Jonathan Kuminga's alleged behavior.
“I know there was that weird report that came out, I think Stephen A. Smith said something about [Kuminga], and honestly, Bob [Myers] and I when that came out, called each other and asked each other ‘where did that come from?'” Kerr said. “Because it made no sense, because JK’s been great, he’s done everything we’ve asked of him, he’s worked hard, I enjoy coaching him. He’s right where he needs to be and he’s gotta just keep getting better every day. But we’re very happy with his summer and everything he’s committed to.”
Four-time Warriors champion Andre Iguodala also refuted the rumors earlier, and, if there's anyone to believe in this whole saga, it's those who see Kuminga put in the work on a regular basis.
“That’s the great part of having Andre and Draymond and having these mentors, so that’s all perfectly normal. That’s what you want, you want your young guys to go through that and see the commitment that it takes for your older guys to mentor them. And that’s exactly what happened last year,” Kerr added.
Jonathan Kuminga had a solid enough rookie season, averaging 9.3 points and 3.3 rebounds on an efficient 51.3% shooting from the field in only 16.9 minutes per game. Warriors fans will be excited to see Kuminga take another step forward in his game, especially if his read on the game ever catches up on his otherworldly athleticism, and he will have an opportunity for a bigger role after the departures of Otto Porter Jr. and Gary Payton II.
