Jonathan Kuminga is totally locked-in right now.
After a spell of being overlooked in key games, Jonathan Kuminga is back in favor for the Golden State Warriors.
Kuminga’s recall was a happy accident, brought back into a key starting role with Stephen Curry sidelined due to a hamstring injury.
Now back in the team, Kuminga is earning the praise of head coach Steve Kerr, while analysts are pointing out that his improved performances were inevitable, he just needed to be given proper playing time.
Jonathan Kuminga has earned praise for the way he has been able to keep his focus during a challenging time, where he was DNP for three high profile games in a row.
Kuminga has been advised to ‘stay ready’ and wait for his opportunity, and this has seen him continue to impress Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob. He just does not realize it.
This was highlighted by an exchange with a reporter during the postgame press conference.
Question: “Did you also notice the other night, you dunked and Lacob got up and was super excited pumping his fist and tonight he did it after one of your plays that you scored?”
Jonathan Kuminga: “Who?”
Question: “Joe Lacob. What does it mean that the owner is one of your biggest fans?”
Jonathan Kuminga: “I don’t pay attention to that. It’s crazy. Any time I’m out there playing, I don’t know if that’s how everybody look at it.
“Like I don’t even see the crowd. I only see my teammates and our coaches.
“Sometimes I don’t even know what side of the floor I’m on because I’m so lock in on trying to do the right things.
“You know, when the play stops, that’s when, oh, everything is here. But when we playing, I feel like I’m just so locked in, I don’t pay attention to anyone sitting on the side but my teammates, the other team and our coaches.”
Jonathan Kuminga produced his best ever playoff performance, scoring 30 points in Game 3 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
This was above his playoff best matching 18 points, that tied his 18 against the Grizzlies in 2022.
Data shows how he shot effectively from three, while he was also dominant close to the rim, causing the Timberwolves real problems.
Kuminga’s improvement is good news for the Warriors, and it’s no wonder Joe Lacob was excited by his big plays over the past two games.
Lacob spoke in February about the Warriors’ commitment to Jonathan Kuminga, responding strongly on NBC when asked about the player’s future: “Are you kidding me? I love that guy. We love him.”
Kuminga is not paying attention to any of that, he is determined to turn around the Warriors’ playoff series, adding: “With the guys that we have right now, I think that we could do something special here.”
