Kuminga snubbed for All-Rookie Team, barely misses cut

Jonathan Kuminga had his fair share of breakout moments in his rookie season with the Warriors, certainly enough to warrant consideration for a spot on an NBA All-Rookie Team.

But he came up five votes short, finishing one spot outside making the All-Rookie Second Team.

Kuminga was not named to a spot on the team during the league’s announcement Wednesday. He received 47 second team votes, five behind the Indiana Pacers’ Chris Duarte, who earned the last spot on the second team. 

Duarte, like Kuminga, didn’t get any first team votes, but he received 52 second team votes. The teams were selected by a media voting panel, with first team votes counting for two points each and second team votes counting for one point. 

Kuminga averaged 9.3 points and 3.3 rebounds during 70 regular season games, shooting over 51 percent from the field.

Duarte, meanwhile, averaged 13.1 points and 4.1 rebounds in 55 games, making 39 starts. 

No other player came close to potentially being snubbed, with the next-highest point total going to the Kings’ Davion Mitchell with 28 -- well behind Kuminga. 

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Kuminga did make the roster at the Rising Stars Game at NBA All-Star Weekend, though he was a late addition, replacing the injured Duarte.

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The first team consisted of Scottie Barnes (Toronto Raptors), Cade Cunningham (Detroit Pistons), Evan Mobley (Cleveland Cavaliers), Franz Wagner (Orlando Magic) and Jalen Green (Houston Rockets). Second team honors went to Herbert Jones (New Orleans Pelicans), Josh Giddey (Oklahoma City), Bones Hyland (Denver Nuggets), Ayo Dosunmu (Chicago Bulls) and Duarte. 

Kuminga’s flashy dunks and athletic plays certainly caught the NBA’s attention and showed the potential that he has at just age 19. 

Perhaps he’ll use it as fuel for his sophomore season to show that he should’ve been recognized for his rookie campaign -- or even during this postseason.

Either way, the Warriors probably have seen enough of Kuminga to know that he will play an important role on the team moving forward.

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