Rather good against the Nuggets on Christmas Eve, Jonathan Kuminga played little in the last quarter. He who considers himself impossible to stop and who presents an interesting physical profile for his team would like to play more. He implied as much, stating that he could not “control his minutes”…
How did Steve Kerr receive the words of his young inner self? “I am not at all bothered by these comments. Everyone wants to play and Jonathan Kuminga is very talented”, replied the Warriors coach.
Then he explains why he cannot offer the Congolese more minutes. “Every game I have to read the play, and Andrew Wiggins was our best player. So we decided to use it at the end of the meeting”he delivers on the match in Denver. “These are easy decisions to make. The game before, in Portland, Kuminga finished the game and he was playing very well. The situation changes from one match to the next for everyone. We are there, Kuminga too. »
Better game reading
And it's not going to get better since Draymond Green is expected to return at the beginning of January. Without forgetting Gary Payton II, also absent for a few weeks. Steve Kerr will have to make choices.
“I think about it every day. It's my job obviously. It's very hard “, analyzes the technician. “There are years when the nine players to be used impose themselves and we play with them. The others then try to understand their role and we work with them. We try to fit them into the mold. This season, it's different, we have thirteen players in the rotation. Everyone has the qualities to be on the ground and justify their presence. But I can only play nine or ten. These are not easy decisions. »
Holder for seven matches, after the suspension of Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga is averaging 14.3 points with 60% shooting success and 5 rebounds since he was in the starting five. Enough to satisfy his coach.
“I am delighted with the evolution of Kuminga”, assures Steve Kerr. “What he does best at the moment is making sure he releases the ball quickly when he has to overthrow. In the last three games, I've seen him make five or six assists like that, immediately passing it to Stephen Curry or Klay Thompson for an open shot. At the start of the season, he didn't see these passes. He kept the ball and our attack was stopped. »
| 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 | 29 | 22 | 50.4 | 30.9 | 67.0 | 1.1 | 2.7 | 3.8 | 1.2 | 2.3 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 12.5 |
| Total | 166 | 19 | 51.6 | 34.4 | 67.0 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 1.4 | 2.2 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 10.1 | |
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.
