Following the Golden State Warriors’ tumultuous victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, Klay Thompson expressed his thoughts on teammate Jonathan Kuminga.
Thompson had nothing but high comments for the 21-year-old rising sensation, who has been on a tear over the previous three months. He ranked Kuminga as one of the top NBA players, a bold assertion given the competition in that area.
Kuminga has been a vital contributor to the Warriors this season, averaging 16.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists. Kuminga finished yesterday night’s highly contested game against the Lakers with 23 points, four assists, and two rebounds, converting 9-of-16 shots from the field.
Thompson Views Kuminga as the ‘future’ of warriors.
Kuminga plans to continue his career with Golden State Warriors alongside Draymond Green and Jonathan Kuminga.
Kuminga has shown to be an excellent addition to the seasoned bunch of Stephen Curry, Thompson, and Draymond Green, and he realizes the potential for both himself and this team to achieve.
On the Dubs Talk podcast with Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area, he stated that he wants to be a part of the Warriors for life.
“I would love to just be one of the Warriors for life – and just never change.” — Jonathan Kuminga.
Kuminga appears to be following in the footsteps of the aforementioned Warrior trio, with a long-term stay with the Warriors seeming increasingly likely. Thompson, realizing this and having witnessed Kuminga’s impact firsthand, spoke out about his vision for the young player’s future.
“Jonathan has been amazing for us… He is the franchise’s future, and we need him to lead us to success this season.” — Klay Thompson
With such a strong statement from one of the franchise’s greatest players, it’s clear that Kuminga’s future looks promising. With the Warriors at 35-31 and seventh in the Western Conference, Kuminga’s dramatic gains are a significant reason they’re still in the playoff picture.
If Golden State can maintain their recent performance, Kuminga and his team could make some noise in the postseason.
Kuminga’s Consistent Improvement
When given additional time, Kuminga rewards the Warriors with better results.
Jonathan Kuminga Golden State Warriors
Kuminga has been able to increase his numbers with each season, gradually making his way into the game plan until his breakout this season. Playing the most minutes per game of his career, Kuminga has set career highs in points, rebounds, assists, and field goal %.
Kuminga’s performance has improved as he has been given more opportunities, and it appears that he may be nearing the end of his potential.
Kuminga’s playing time has increased dramatically over the last 3-4 months, and he has reacted by averaging more over 20 points per game in January and March, as well as 18.1 in February.
He’s made more than half of his field goal tries in the last three months, including 58.6 and 54.1 percent in January and February. Given that he is playing alongside two of the greatest shooters in league history, this is a remarkable performance.