Warriors: Will Jonathan Kuminga play in Summer League?
Jonathan Kuminga said Saturday afternoon that he would “love to” play in
the offseason competition in Las Vegas.
>MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE – MAY 1: Golden State Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga
(00) dunks the ball against the Memphis Grizzlies in the second quarter
of Game 1 of the team’s NBA basketball second-round playoff series at
the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn., on Sunday, May 1, 2022. (Nhat V.
Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
>MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE – MAY 1: Golden State Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga
(00) dunks the ball against the Memphis Grizzlies in the second quarter
of Game 1 of the team’s NBA basketball second-round playoff series at
the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn., on Sunday, May 1, 2022. (Nhat V.
Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
By MADELINE KENNEY | mkenney@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: June 18, 2022 at 6:00 p.m. | UPDATED: June 18, 2022 at 6:00 p.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/06/18/warriors-will-jonathan-kuminga-play-in-summer-league/

SAN FRANCISCO — James Wiseman said he’ll “most likely play” in Summer
League next month. If that’s the case, he might not be the only reigning
NBA champion worth watching in Las Vegas.

Jonathan Kuminga said Saturday afternoon that he would “love to” play in
the annual offseason competition.

“I would want to do it especially if I’m trying to grow and learn and
get better every day, I got to play more,” he said. “I feel like the
Summer League would be good.”

Some players go through their entire careers without winning an NBA
championship. But at 19, Kuminga is the second youngest player to earn a
championship ring.

Kuminga acknowledged how special it was for him to win at the highest
level at such a young age. He enjoyed his cousin sending a video of his
family doing the Griddy dance after the Warriors knocked off the Celtics
in six games. His brother, who is back in Africa, also told him that
“everybody is happy that you’re a champion.”

But reaching the mountaintop of the NBA only made Kuminga more motivated
to get back work in hopes to return to this spot at the end of next season.

“I learned how to be a winner… and now I know what it takes to actually
get to the Finals and get the job done,” Kuminga said. “By being out
there watching what was going on, listening to coaches, listening to
vets, that really helped me and I feel like if we just keep up with the
good work hopefully next year we’ll get there and I’m going to be one of
the guys helping the team to get there.”

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Kuminga said he’s focusing a lot of his offseason work on improving his
shooting. He averaged 9.3 points while shooting 51.3% on 6.6 field goal
attempts per game in 70 regular-season contests this season. He also
shot 33.6% from 3-point range, taking about 2.1 shots from deep each game.

“If I get my shooting to where I want it to get [it], it’s really going
to open up a lot of stuff,” he said.

Kuminga could benefit from getting some game reps in during Summer
League. He’s also considering the chance of playing for the Dominican
Republic of Congo national men’s basketball team this offseason.

“I’m still working on that one, I’m still thinking” about playing for
his national team, he said. “I’m not going to take a break for too long.
I’m just gonna be back at it again.”