What stood out about Jonathan Kuminga’s preseason performance
Golden State Warriors' Jonathan Kuminga scored 17 points in loss to
Denver Nuggets
>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 14: Golden State Warriors’
Jonathan Kuminga (00) dunks the ball against the Denver Nuggets during
the second quarter of their preseason NBA game at the Chase Center in
San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, Oct. 14, 2022. (Jose Carlos
Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 14: Golden State Warriors’
Jonathan Kuminga (00) dunks the ball against the Denver Nuggets during
the second quarter of their preseason NBA game at the Chase Center in
San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, Oct. 14, 2022. (Jose Carlos
Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
By SHAYNA RUBIN | srubin@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: October 14, 2022 at 11:33 p.m. | UPDATED: October 14, 2022 at
11:33 p.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/10/14/what-stood-out-about-jonathan-kumingas-preseason-performance/

SAN FRANCISCO — The Warriors have too many players and not enough
minutes to go around. But opportunities arise when guys come down with
injuries.

With Moses Moody and JaMychal Green out of Friday’s 119-112 preseason
loss to the Denver Nuggets with minor injuries, Jonathan Kuminga got
plenty of run with the starters and second unit. Kuminga’s chemistry
with the starters could be worth more run in the regular season.

Kuminga finished with a team-high 17 points, tied with Klay Thompson,
and played most of the second quarter in two different lineups featuring
variations of the Warriors “Core 6.” He showed off his abilities as a
slasher, dunker and strong one-on-one defender with Draymond Green back
in action and facilitating at center along with, Thompson, Steph Curry
and Jordan Poole — and then in a lineup with Andrew Wiggins swapped in
for Poole and Kevon Looney for Green.

“That was really fun watching him,” coach Steve Kerr said. “He ran the
floor hard. He got a couple of offensive rebounds. Just played with
energy. When you’re with guys that skilled, that’s really all you have
to do and you’re going to fall into some points and rebounds if you are
that big and athletic. I think he’s starting to see where he can make an
impact and how he can sort of form his role and his game as well.”

Kuminga can play a role similar to Gary Payton II’s last season. He can
benefit from the spacing Curry, Poole and Thompson create while using
his athleticism to put away some dunks or pick up a few offensive rebounds.

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JK slam on the rebound 😤
[video]

8:10 PM · Oct 14, 2022
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The 20-year-old has improved as a slasher, too. He moved well off ball
to create more scoring opportunities in open space.

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Dray up to JK for the oop 😲
[video]

8:16 PM · Oct 14, 2022
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“The game has really slowed down for him a lot,” Wiggins said. “And he’s
making all the right decisions. He’s making a lot of great passes,
finding the open man and being aggressive getting to the rim. Every day
he’s got to realize he’s the most athletic person out there on the
court. He’s young, he has a lot of energy. And the future is bright for
him.”

Kuminga’s playmaking came to light a couple times with the starting
unit. He found Kevon Looney under the basket for a quick assist and bucket.

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Warriors on NBCS
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Playmaker JK 👀
[video]

8:02 PM · Oct 14, 2022
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He and James Wiseman made some flashy plays in their minutes together.
He had a drive-and-pass to Wiseman, who went up for a dunk.

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“I just think the growth for both of them is apparent in a lot of
different ways,” Kerr said. “They both had excellent camps. I was happy
for JK tonight to have that stretch because he hadn’t been great in the
exhibition games, but he’d been really good in practices, so it’s good
for him to show it, under the lights.”

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Warriors on NBCS
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JK ➡️ Wiseman for the hammer 🔨
[video]

7:32 PM · Oct 14, 2022
1.2K Reply Share

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Shayna Rubin | General Assignment Sports Reporter
Shayna covers Bay Area sports for the Bay Area News Group. She covered
the Oakland A's from 2019 to 2021 and, most recently, the Golden State
Warriors' championship run in 2022. Shayna is a San Francisco native.