With his fearless drives to the rim and improved shot selection, Jonathan Kuminga has been a revelation for the Warriors on offense throughout the 2023-24 NBA season, drawing comparisons to Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Speaking to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Monte Poole and Kerith Burke on the latest edition of “Dubs Talk,” Kuminga explained that he does see a similarity between himself and Antetokounmpo when it comes to attacking the rim.
“I see a similarity, most of the time when I get closer to the rim,” Kuminga said. “Sometimes even if it’s a bigger guy in the paint, I finish over them, and Giannis is the best at doing it no matter who’s in front of him, he’s going to find his way to get there.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
“And I’m not as big as Giannis but obviously I look, I watch certain things that he does when he gets to the rim. And I came in and just practice, watch film, looking at things that he does well, and just try it [myself].”
Kuminga then was asked how he got to the point in his career where he could fearlessly attack the rim and not be afraid to score. The Warriors forward responded by talking about his interaction with Boston Celtics All-Star forward Jaylen Brown during a recent game, where the superstar told him to keep working on his game no matter what doubters say.
“It’s just something [attacking the rim] I always have in my head,” Kuminga told Poole and Burke.
“And it’s crazy we just played Boston and at the end of the game I had a talk with Jaylen Brown…And he said ‘Don’t let anybody tell you can’t do anything,’ and while I had that in my mindset, just seeing how his career went to where he’s at right now, there were a lot of people who told him he couldn’t do certain things…and that’s how I look at it, I can do so much that I don’t even think I can do.”
Golden State Warriors
Since Kuminga and coach Steve Kerr worked out their differences in the wake of his benching during a heartbreaking loss to the Denver Nuggets on Jan 4. at Chase Center, the young forward has become an elite scoring threat inside the paint, notching 13 games of 20 or more points in the 26 games since that loss to the Nuggets.
Kuminga and the Warriors recently played Antetokounmpo and the Bucks, with the Golden State forward helping power the team to a dominating 125-90 win, fueled by Kuminga's aggressive play at the rim.
With the Warriors surging in the standings as they push for a top-six Western Conference playoff seed and an automatic postseason berth, Kuminga has become a much-needed interior scoring threat, and his continued development this season will be key to a deep playoff run.
Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast