Kuminga joins Warriors in Las Vegas; Wiseman making ‘amazing progress’
Jonathan Kuminga started his summer development work Wednesday when he
reunited with the Warriors in Las Vegas after a short trip home to the
Congo.
>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: July 6, 2022 at 4:28 p.m. | UPDATED: July 7, 2022 at 4:08 a.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/07/06/kuminga-joins-warriors-in-las-vegas-wiseman-making-amazing-progress/

LAS VEGAS — Jonathan Kuminga started his summer development work
Wednesday when he reunited with the Warriors in Las Vegas after a short
trip home to the Congo.

Similar to Moses Moody, this will be a pivotal offseason for Kuminga,
who is expected to take a big leap in his second year in the league. He
has all the physical traits to be an NBA star but is still learning the
nuances of the way the Warriors play. He showed flashes of his potential
during his rookie season, averaging 9.3 points on 51.3 percent shooting,
and earned a starting role in the Western Conference semifinals against
the Memphis Grizzlies.

Kuminga will benefit from the additional reps this month as he looks to
polish his game.

“Summer League is a time when they can really start to grow again,”
Warriors assistant coach Jama Mahlalela said, “and so he’s looking
really good.”

The Warriors coaching staff is focused on getting Kuminga’s conditioning
back up to speed before unleashing him in a Summer League contest. It’s
unlikely the former No. 7 overall pick will play in the Warriors’ Las
Vegas opener Friday against the Knicks, but he could make an appearance
in any or all of Golden State’s final three games.

“We’ll kind of make sure his wind is right first and as soon as he’s
ready we’ll get him out there and see what he can do,” said Mahlalela,
who’ll handle the team’s head coaching duties in Las Vegas.

Kuminga, 19, is the fourth reigning NBA champion on Golden State’s
summer squad, joining James Wiseman, Moody and Quinndary Weatherspoon,
who’ve been in the mix since the team opened practice last week.

- Wiseman making progress

Wiseman continues to make “amazing progress” in his reintegration
program, so much so that Mahlalela believes Wiseman remains on track to
return to game action in Las Vegas.

Wednesday was a scheduled light work day for Wiseman after he went
through another five-on-five scrimmage Tuesday. Mahlalela said Wiseman’s
most recent scrimmage was a grind but it overall went “really, really well.”

“As a player coming off injuries … it’s not always gonna look amazing,”
said Mahlalela. “He fought through it, and I think that’s a normal
build. … He really sort of just looked like a real basketball player and
for all of us, that’s so excited. I think in the next few days once his
wind gets better, I think his performance will look even better than it
did, but doing well.”

Wiseman is expected to play in another scrimmage Thursday as part of his
ramp up process after he missed all of last season recuperating from a
torn meniscus in his knee. He remains “day-to-day” as the Warriors
training staff closely monitors how his body is reacting to the
increased workload, Mahlalela said. It’s unlikely he’ll play in the
Warriors’ Las Vegas opener Friday against the Knicks, but Mahlalela said
he “definitely imagine the next few that we’ll be seeing him.”

- Warriors ‘not rushing’ first-round pick

The Warriors aren’t in any hurry to put Patrick Baldwin Jr. in live action.

Why would they be?

Baldwin, the No. 28 pick of this year’s draft, is coming off an ankle
injury that he first injured nearly two years ago and reaggravated last
season at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Baldwin previously said he was “at the brink of” being full strength and
working through the final hurdles to be cleared. He hasn’t received the
green light from the Warriors training staff for contact but he went
through all shooting and non-contact drills Wednesday, Mahlalela said.

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“Patrick’s been in a really good space since we drafted him,” Mahlalela
said. “He’s still not doing anything live but he’s in a nice growth
process… of understanding how we move and where we move.
“He’s shooting the ball really, really well. And again, I think we’ll
see how he progresses over Summer League. We’re not rushing, we know
what we got, and we want him to be ready for the season. So we just kind
of take him day-by-day and continue his growth.”

Baldwin has a high upside but, similar to Wiseman, had little experience
at the collegiate level. Baldwin played only 11 games for the Panthers
due to his ankle issues. The Warriors believe Baldwin’s potential to be
an NBA star far outweighed the risk that comes with drafting a player
who’s on the mend. Golden State doesn’t need Baldwin to make an
immediate impact this season, but it should be a good learning
experience for the 19-year-old, who’s the newest member to the Warriors’
young core.