At the beginning of January, when the player had already publicly complained about his role, the camp Jonathan Kuminga almost gave the Warriors an ultimatum, via The Athletic.
Frustrated by its use, the Congolese no longer trusted Steve Kerr for the future…
A rant which pushed the coach and his young 21-year-old player to have a frank discussion. Which definitely launched Jonathan Kuminga, who has since established himself as the team's second option!
Patience and length of time
“I think it was actually a good thing for him to express his frustration” recognizes Steve Kerr. “Because it forced him to take responsibility for it. And we had a good conversation about it. He let me know how he felt, that he was frustrated, and we made a list of things I wanted him to do, and then it happened when Draymond (Green) was out… so he got more minutes because he played better and the opportunity was there. »
Before this rant, Jonathan Kuminga averaged 12.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists, in 23 minutes, over 34 games played with Golden State. From ? 19.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists on average, in 31 minutes, over the last 21 games. And his shooting success percentage has also increased, from 50 to 55%!
The 7th choice of the 2021 Draft has clearly reached a milestone in recent weeks. And Steve Kerr can appreciate it.
“That's what people usually say in the league: it's in the third year that guys start to feel comfortable and take off. But when you pick a guy that high, no one wants to hear that it's going to take three years. They want it to happen right away. Except it doesn’t work like that…”
| Jonathan Kuminga | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2021-22 | GOS | 70 | 17 | 51.3 | 33.6 | 68.4 | 0.8 | 2.6 | 3.3 | 0.9 | 2.1 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 9.3 |
| 2022-23 | GOS | 67 | 21 | 52.5 | 37.0 | 65.2 | 1.0 | 2.4 | 3.5 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 0.6 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 9.9 |
| 2023-24 | GOS | 54 | 26 | 52.7 | 31.3 | 72.7 | 1.3 | 3.4 | 4.7 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 0.7 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 15.2 |
| Total | 191 | 21 | 52.2 | 34.0 | 69.3 | 1.0 | 2.8 | 3.8 | 1.6 | 2.2 | 0.6 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 11.2 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
