Dub Hub: Is Jonathan Kuminga primed for a breakout season?

Rounding up all Warriors and NBA related news for Friday, August 4th.

Warriors News:

‘This is the year’ - Golden State Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga is ready for his true breakout NBA season | ESPN

Most 20-year-olds would be content with 137 regular season NBA appearances, 26 playoff appearances and a championship ring over the course of two seasons, but Kuminga feels he has not yet lived up to others’ expectations of superstardom.

Kuminga told ESPN at the Basketball without Borders camp in South Africa: “This upcoming season is definitely the year.

“A lot of people are expecting so much from me - and myself; I’m expecting a lot. It’s a lot of pressure, but I don’t really pay attention to the noise.

“The pressure is always going to be there. It’s just [on] me to go out there and perform.”

D’Angelo Russell explains the key to beating his former team

Warriors are giving away bobbleheads at two 2023 preseason games | SF Gate

The first 10,000 fans to arrive at San Francisco’s Chase Center on Oct. 18 for “Stephen Curry College Grad Bobblehead Night” will take home a collectable figurine of the beloved point guard wearing a graduation cap and gown. The bobblehead is a nod to Curry graduating from Davidson College last year, 13 years after he left the school to join the NBA.

On Oct. 20, the Warriors are hosting “Paper Plane Klay Bobblehead Night” where early bird attendees can snag a mini of Klay Thompson riding on and holding a paper airplane, a reference to Thompson making paper airplanesduring post-game press conferences.

All-Access | Stephen Curry the Golf Champion! | Golden State Warriors

Jeff Teague loves trash talking with Draymond Green

NBA News:

NBPA says $50K gift ‘alarming’ after Ron DeSantis’ comments | ESPN

The National Basketball Players Association on Thursday said that a $50,000 donation made by the Orlando Magic to a super PAC supporting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign was “alarming given recent comments and policies of its beneficiary.”

“NBA governors, players and personnel have the right to express their personal political views, including through donations and statements,” the NBPA statement said. “However, if contributions are made on behalf of an entire team, using money earned through the labor of its employees, it is incumbent upon the team governors to consider the diverse values and perspectives of staff and players.

“The Magic’s donation does not represent player support for the recipient.”

The statement comes after DeSantis made comments supporting Florida’s new African American history standard that says some Black people benefited from slavery.

An Open Letter From Michael Jordan | NBA

As Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall, and their ownership group, now take a controlling stake in the team, and I transition to becoming a minority owner, I want to say Thank You to Hornets fans for all the love and dedication you’ve shown the franchise and to me over the years. We’ve had some unforgettable moments together, as well as a few challenging ones, but through it all, you’ve remained committed to us. Although we were not as successful on the court as I - and many of you - would have liked, I am proud of the things that we accomplished as an organization.

Rudy Gobert’s reaction to hitting his first career three-pointer

In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:

Steve Kerr gets ready to coach Team USA in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup

Their challenge is to take a young roster and turn it into a cohesive unit in less than a month, which is a daunting task but not impossible given their pedigree and the roster they’re provided. It’s not totally out of the question that they just might win the whole thing based on their collective talent.

However, the field they’re up against is loaded with high-level talent, even while top NBA stars such as Nikola Jokić and (possibly) Giannis Antetokounmpo have elected to sit out. Canada is fielding their most talented roster with multiple NBA studs; France is sending out virtually the same squad that defeated a better USA roster in the first game of the 2020 Olympics and gave them a hard time in the gold medal game; Australia has nine NBA players on their roster; Slovenia has Luka Dončić and years of continuity.

Zach LaVine on the Warriors trio of Hall-of-Fame guards: ‘They’re going to figure it out’

The Warriors have had success with the three-guard model. During their championship run in 2021-22, the Dubs outscored opponents by a shocking 32.6 points per 100 possessions in the 129 regular season minutes where Curry, Thompson, and Jordan Poole were all on the court, though that number admittedly shrank to 0.6 in 207 postseason minutes.

Poole certainly did something that Paul does not, as he had a faster trigger with his jump shot, and was more athletic. But Paul, with his ability to avoid turnovers, run a traditional pick-and-roll, catch fire from mid-range, and play strong perimeter defense, certainly brings a lot of skills that Poole didn’t have.

A tweet to end the week:

Follow @unstoppablebaby on Twitter for all the latest news on the Golden State Warriors.