Jonathan Kuminga on lack of playing time: 'It’s still tough to lock in every single time. It’s still tough to smile every single time'
“It’s still tough to lock in every single time. It’s still tough to smile every single time,” Kuminga said. “But knowing where I’ve come from, seeing how many things that I’ve actually been through that a lot of people don’t know that got me to this point… I feel like throughout my career, throughout my life, I’ve never been given anything. I’ve seen so many people just get handed stuff. That’s never happened to me.
Source: C.J. Holmes @ San Francisco Chronicle
Source: C.J. Holmes @ San Francisco Chronicle
What’s the buzz on Twitter?
CJ Holmes @CjHolmes22
“You can’t stop the sun from shining. At some point, the sun is going to come out.”
Jonathan Kuminga is unhappy with his declining playoff minutes, yet his confidence remains high. He still believes he can be impactful for the Warriors this postseason.
sfchronicle.com/sports/warrior… pic.twitter.com/Eif4ec6d38 – 9:40 PM
“You can’t stop the sun from shining. At some point, the sun is going to come out.”
Jonathan Kuminga is unhappy with his declining playoff minutes, yet his confidence remains high. He still believes he can be impactful for the Warriors this postseason.
sfchronicle.com/sports/warrior… pic.twitter.com/Eif4ec6d38 – 9:40 PM
Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater
New Warriors plus/minus podcast with @ThompsonScribe on the Game 1 loss to the Lakers, the AD problem and an extended conversation: Why not use Jonathan Kuminga?
Apple: apple.co/3oJ4M8e
Spotify: spoti.fi/3oIom4c
TA: bit.ly/40VfhEF pic.twitter.com/PLJbtvCrLh – 10:26 AM
New Warriors plus/minus podcast with @ThompsonScribe on the Game 1 loss to the Lakers, the AD problem and an extended conversation: Why not use Jonathan Kuminga?
Apple: apple.co/3oJ4M8e
Spotify: spoti.fi/3oIom4c
TA: bit.ly/40VfhEF pic.twitter.com/PLJbtvCrLh – 10:26 AM
Kylen Mills @KylenMills
Okay so game 2: Draymond on AD, push the pace offensively, Jonathan Kuminga minutes, don’t foul every possession and get the refs some glasses. We good. #dubnation – 1:12 AM
Okay so game 2: Draymond on AD, push the pace offensively, Jonathan Kuminga minutes, don’t foul every possession and get the refs some glasses. We good. #dubnation – 1:12 AM
Kylen Mills @KylenMills
If game 1 told me anything, it’s that Steve Kerr needs to give Jonathan Kuminga a chance. The dubs could use his size, athleticism, a threat at the rim. Free Kuminga. #dubnation – 12:53 AM
If game 1 told me anything, it’s that Steve Kerr needs to give Jonathan Kuminga a chance. The dubs could use his size, athleticism, a threat at the rim. Free Kuminga. #dubnation – 12:53 AM
Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater
JaMychal Green and Donte DiVincenzo are starting the second quarter. Steve Kerr’s now gone 10 deep into his Game 1 rotation. Still no Kuminga. – 10:45 PM
JaMychal Green and Donte DiVincenzo are starting the second quarter. Steve Kerr’s now gone 10 deep into his Game 1 rotation. Still no Kuminga. – 10:45 PM
CJ Holmes @CjHolmes22
Steve Kerr says this is a series where Jonathan Kuminga could potentially play a larger role. The 20-year-old averaged just six minutes per game in the Warriors’ first-round series against Sacramento. – 8:27 PM
Steve Kerr says this is a series where Jonathan Kuminga could potentially play a larger role. The 20-year-old averaged just six minutes per game in the Warriors’ first-round series against Sacramento. – 8:27 PM
Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater
Steve Kerr said this could “potentially” be a series that Jonathan Kuminga has a larger role. He’s playing his rotation plans tight to vest. But matchup could be more conducive. pic.twitter.com/21fXYAnMPp – 8:26 PM
Steve Kerr said this could “potentially” be a series that Jonathan Kuminga has a larger role. He’s playing his rotation plans tight to vest. But matchup could be more conducive. pic.twitter.com/21fXYAnMPp – 8:26 PM
Jason Dumas @JDumasReports
Steve Kerr said this could “potentially” be a series where Kuminga plays a bigger role. “He can definitely be a part of things.” – 8:25 PM
Steve Kerr said this could “potentially” be a series where Kuminga plays a bigger role. “He can definitely be a part of things.” – 8:25 PM
More on this storyline
After Jonathan Kuminga showed major improvement at both ends of the court during the regular season for the Golden State Warriors, there were hopes that second-year forward was ready to graduate into a breakout star this postseason. Instead, the 20-year-old has spent most of the Warriors’ playoff run up to this point riding the bench. “It’s tough going through this season and being in (the game) most of the time and then things just flip out of nowhere without you knowing what’s going on,” Kuminga told The Chronicle. -via San Francisco Chronicle / May 4, 2023
“He’s fine; he’s healthy and he’s working out. But he has to have the space to do what he needs for his family, and we’re supporting that.” I asked: Can you win a title without Wiggins? “I think so; I really believe in this team,” Kerr said. “I think the fact that we traded for Gary and the way that JK has stepped up in Wigs’ absence. If you look at last year’s team, we had the two on-ball defenders in Wigs and Gary. And you plug JK into that Wigs spot now. It’s not as seamless as it was a year ago because we had a whole season together and we had all that rhythm and continuity, but I do feel good about our chances just with the talent that we have and the experience that we have.” -via The Athletic / March 31, 2023
There are existential pressures on the dynasty, for sure. At some point, it will end. But Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson have held up their parts this season, and all Warriors things still flow from this core. Now that Gary Payton II has been re-acquired in a trade and gotten healthy and Jonathan Kuminga has earned Kerr’s trust (well, mostly), Kerr has a much steadier feel for what this group can do and how he should manage the whole thing. “I think we’ve felt things coming together,” Kerr said. “We look more like a two-way basketball team more often now than we did even a few weeks ago. We’re not there yet, obviously. I mean, we’re not consistent enough. But I think we know we’re capable of getting where we need to be. And getting Gary back is a huge help; he gives us that extra defensive stopper.” -via The Athletic / March 31, 2023