SAN FRANCISCO – Jonathan Kuminga had yet another game scoring in double figures, the 32nd consecutive time in which he has done so for the Warriors.
It has become a regular sight for Dub Nation, who have watched Kuminga do his thing in every game Golden State has played since Dec. 2, 2023.
Even though the Warriors fell short to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday, losing 130-125 at Chase Center, Kuminga continued to state his case for the most improved player on Golden State’s roster and possibly the entire NBA.
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In addition to his solid stat line (13 points, eight rebounds, six assists), Kuminga literally had a hand in one of the game’s most intriguing plays in the fourth quarter. Golden State rookie Brandin Podziemski was driving for a layup when he got fouled hard by Clippers’ 6-foot-11 center Mason Plumlee.
Kuminga, who was standing in the right corner of the court, came rushing in and shoved Plumee. Kuminga drew a technical foul, along with the respect of many in attendance.
For Kuminga, it was simply him having Podziemski’s back. Kuminga also stepped in because he didn’t want Draymond Green, the Warriors’ long-time enforcer on the court who already has been suspended twice by the NBA this season, getting involved and having to deal with the repercussions that it might have set off.
Golden State Warriors
“I did it for my teammate for sure. Can’t just let things slide,” Kuminga said. “I wouldn’t want Draymond to do that because if he does that, it’s going to be ‘Oh my God.’ I had to have my teammate’s back. We’re all out there playing for each other so might as well fight for each other, right?”
Kuminga has been showing a lot of fight over the past six weeks.
In and out of the Warriors’ lineup throughout his first two seasons in the league and the first five weeks of the 2023-24 NBA season, mostly because of his inconsistencies on both ends, Kuminga has developed into Golden State’s best scoring threat not named Stephen Curry.
During this stretch of double-figure games, Kuminga has scored 20 or more 11 times, including a career-high of 31 against the Sacramento Kings on Jan. 25.
“That’s another progression of becoming that guy that instills a little fear in [opposing] coaching staffs,” Curry said. “He’s done an amazing job of staying patient, staying aggressive at the same time, finding his spots and continuing to build that confidence.”
Kuminga never has lacked in confidence but was a little confused in how he was being used by Warriors coach Steve Kerr this season.
After the two held a clear-the-air meeting, Green returned from his second suspension and helped push Kuminga’s evolution further.
Kuminga showed the Clippers he’s more than just a player who possesses explosive speed and attacks the rim like a lion does to its prey. He got Paul George out of the game in the fourth quarter by drawing the fifth and sixth fouls against the Clippers star. Before fouling out, George had scored 24 points and was giving the Warriors’ defense fits.
It all added up to another chapter in Kuminga’s career during a season in which he’s finally playing up to the expectations that surrounded him as the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
“I want to win. I’ve been a winner,” Kuminga said when asked what sparked his turnaround this season. “I want to prove and show people that I’m a winner.”
There’s no denying that Kuminga is in the best stretch of his career, a dominant and dynamic scorer who destroys opponents when he drives to the rim. He has improved on defense, too, and is a force that opponents have to worry about.
Yet that isn’t likely to stop the critics, who continue to lash out about Kuminga on social media.
Kuminga doesn’t expect it to stop any time soon. Not that he cares much about the chatter and noise.
“People are never going to stop criticizing,” Kuminga said. “At the end of the day they’re human beings, and they’re never going to stop criticizing people. I don’t even care what people say.”
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