Through 47 games this season, the Warriors are 22-25. They are coming off a 109-98 win vs. the Brooklyn Nets. Steph Curry and the Warriors are currently 12th in the Western Conference. If the season ended today, they would miss the playoffs. Luckily, there is still a lot of basketball left to be played and Golden State is only 1.5 games back from the 10th seed.
Despite the team not being above .500, there have still been positives for the Warriors in 2023-24. Over their last 15-20 games, PF Jonathan Kuminga has been on a scoring tear. He’s finally starting to play like a top-10 pick in the NBA Draft. The Warriors hope Kuminga can keep this up for the rest of this season. Kuminga has been a reliable secondary scorer for the Warriors after Steph Curry as of lately.
Jonathan Kuminga is playing the best basketball of his young career over his last 17 games
Jonathan Kuminga since being quoted saying “Me with the ball, nobody’s guarding me”:
20.4 PPG
6.1 RPG
65.1 TS% pic.twitter.com/9lT21nSeZA
— StatMamba (@StatMamba) February 7, 2024
A little over a month ago, it seemed like Jonathan Kuminga was not on good terms with head coach Stever Kerr. At least that’s how the media portrayed it. The 21-year-old was putting up big numbers, but Kerr left him on the bench in crucial moments. Reports began to say that Kerr no longer believed in what Kuminga could do for the Warriors. However, that simply was not true.
Since that so-called falling out, Kuminga has been on an absolute year for the Warriors. Over his last 17 games, he’s averaging (20.4) points, (6.1) rebounds, and a (.651) true shooting percentage. There’s no question that Kuminga is currently playing the best basketball of his career. He joined a veteran Warriors squad in 2021-22 who won the NBA Finals. Over his first two years with the Warriors, Kuminga averaged (9.6) points per game. He’s increased that number to (15.4) in 2023-24.
Jonathan Kuminga’s stats by hairstyle:
Buzz cut— Dreads—
21.9 PPG 12.8 PPG
6.2 RPG 4.1 RPG
2.4 APG 1.4 APG
32.2 MIN 22.1 MIN
59/46/80% 51/28/69%
Buzz Cut Kuminga is ballin. pic.twitter.com/Rzl0gGnQtf
— Extra StatMuse (@extrastatmuse) February 7, 2024
His points, rebounds, and minutes per game are all new career highs for Kuminga. He’s finally starting to put it all together for the Warriors in 2023-24. Kuminga looks like a player the team can build around once their big three splits up. If he can continue to play well, the 21-year-old could become an unquestioned starter. We’ll have to see how the rest of the season plays out for Kuminga.