© Brad Penner | 2021 Jul 29
Warriors No. 7 overall pick Jonathan Kuminga is supposed to be a project. Maybe he will be, but he sure looked like an NBA-ready player in Monday night’s Summer League game vs. the Magic.
First a note: You really can’t take much away from Summer League. As Marcus Thompson mentioned on KNBR Tuesday morning, Marco Belinelli and Anthony Randolph once tore up the Summer League for the Warriors back in the day. That’s about as good as things got for either of them in a Warriors uniform.
Everything that happened Monday should be taken with the largest grain of salt, but it’s hard not to get excited by Kuminga’s combination of size and athleticism, especially in transition.
The 6-foot-8, 210 pound forward wasted no time exerting his will, going straight to the cup with ease in the half court for his first bucket of the game.
Kuminga attacks the rim for his first bucket of the game pic.twitter.com/wpy44zDv6D
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) August 10, 2021
Then Kuminga showed off a skill he struggled with mightily in the G League last year. Kuminga has never had a problem getting to the rim, but finishing over other players has been a weakness. This second quarter drive seemed to show improvement.
Kuminga finishes strong in traffic ? pic.twitter.com/tUnt5gxQsG
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) August 10, 2021
Then the highlights began. Kuminga flashed all his potential on this steal-dunk combination play. A play before, he made Magic fans wince by taking No. 8 pick Franz Wagner to the weight room.
Kuminga plays the defense, finishes with a huge dunk ? pic.twitter.com/zkY6hdlR7P
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) August 10, 2021
No. 7 pick Jonathan Kuminga overpowers No. 8 pick Franz Wagner ? pic.twitter.com/qrQAXcHvpy
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) August 10, 2021
By this point, Kuminga was off, running the floor in transition for a dunk in the third quarter from fellow first round draft pick Moses Moody. Kuminga then returned the favor, flashing his handle with an impressive spin move before dishing to Moody for the finish.
Moody ➡️ Kuminga for the transition dunk pic.twitter.com/iczulX342C
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) August 10, 2021
Kuminga again turns defense into offense, finds Moody for the layup ? pic.twitter.com/EJPabAtNvw
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) August 10, 2021
Kuminga finished with 15 points and six rebounds, and most impressively was plus-15 in a team high 29 minutes. Kuminga still has to work on his shot, he went 0-for-4 from three, but he sure looks like he could at least contribute something immediately this season.