San Francisco, CA – The league-leading Golden State Warriors have been in an intriguing situation the last two seasons. Since playing in the NBA Finals in 2019, they've received three lottery picks. With those selections, they plucked James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga, and Moses Moody.

Lottery picks typically end up on bad teams. These guys, however, ended up on an excellent team with an unfortunate record, putting Kuminga in an awkward position.

“A lot of guys who were drafted right before or right after are all playing a lot,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr told ClutchPoints. “So it’s not easy for him (Jonathan Kuminga), but he understands he’s on a very good team, and he’s got to pay his dues and learn from the guys. There’s a lot to be said for that route, as well in terms of development. I think he understands that, and he’s working really hard.”

Kuminga has only made four appearances this season for the Warriors. He's accumulated a grand total of 16 minutes and has only scored in two games. In his limited playing time, he's shown promising signs. But there's just not enough time to see if he could crack the rotation.

That's what makes playing in the NBA G League as much as possible so valuable. Kuminga can get plenty of reps and opportunities with the Santa Cruz Warriors. Then he can be called up and be eligible to get a few minutes in front of Kerr.

When you're as talented as Kuminga, it's only a matter of time until you're playing every day next to Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. For now, hard work and plenty of experience are needed to get there.