HOUSTON — A temporary move to the bench didn’t knock Jonathan Kuminga off his game. Neither did a slow first three games to the season he described as “decent.” Nor the stalled contract extension negotiations, the trade rumors, the chatter.
Against the Rockets on Saturday night, to tip off a gauntlet of a road trip, Kuminga reminded everyone why he’s such a coveted prospect, why the Warriors value him so highly, why he’s worthy of the hype.
The Warriors were reeling after blowing a 31-point first-half lead. They had trouble bringing the ball up against Houston’s ball pressure. The Rockets’ athletic, switching defense put the Warriors on their heels, forcing them to put the ball on the deck and win 1-on-1 without Steph Curry. Jabari Smith Jr., Amen Thompson, and Tari Eason — all impressive young players in a matchup full of them — changed the game with their energy and force.
“And then Jonathan Kuminga showed why he is Jonathan Kuminga,” Draymond Green said postgame.
Kuminga, 22, helped the Warriors hold on for a 127-121 overtime victory over the Rockets. He scored six of the team’s eight overtime points, getting to his spots and hitting tough shots when Golden State desperately needed them. He finished with 23 points off the bench, his third consecutive strong night in a reserve role.
“Nobody is going to stop me from where I want to go,” Kuminga said postgame. “It’s not going to happen every time, but the mindset is just getting anybody wherever I want them to go. I was more comfortable getting to the rim than doing different things, why settle when I can get to the rim? That’s the mentality.”
In a matchup against Smith (21), Eason (23), Thompson (22), Cam Whitmore (20), Jalen Green (22) and Alperen Sengun (22), Kuminga was the most impressive young player. Green and Sengun, who were in the same draft class as Kuminga, got rewarded with contract extensions this summer. Kuminga and the Warriors didn’t get close to hammering one out.
The Warriors still think highly of Kuminga. They’ve drafted and developed him and would love him to blossom into an All-Star one day in blue and gold. Saturday was a glimpse into what that trajectory could look like.
In regulation, Kuminga drilled a pull-up 3, got to the line for seven foul shots, punished mismatches on the block and made quick decisions. On one fast break, he passed up a contested layup for a better shot — Gary Payton II for a corner 3. As much as Houston switched defensively, Kuminga showed his defensive versatility, spending time on Green, Smith and Dillon Brooks.
“He can match the athleticism of all those guys,” Green said. “Amen, Tari, Jabari, they are athletes. Amen’s a freak. And Tari Eason’s got one of the best motors I’ve ever seen coming into this league…But when you’re facing guys like that, you need a JK. Because not only can he go get his own, which he can — he showed down the stretch that whenever we needed a bucket, we gave him the ball and he went and got it — but like I said, from an athleticism standpoint, he’s just as athletic if not more. So to match that physicality and athleticism, that was huge.”
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Then to start overtime, when the Rockets had all the momentum, Kuminga canned a tough turnaround on the left block. He added a layup in transition. Realizing Kuminga was feeling it, Kerr drew up a play for him during a timeout, clearing the left side of the floor for him. He paid it off, making Smith slip with an in-and-out dribble and finishing with his left hand.
“We needed JK’s ability to beat the switches and to get downhill,” Kerr said. “He just took over. He was fantastic.”
Kuminga’s 23-point performance came after his previous two best games of the year — point totals of 17 and 16 on efficient shooting. Each has come since Steph Curry sprained his ankle, forcing Kuminga to the bench to optimize the shooting of the starting-five.
Before Curry’s injury, Kuminga was starting next to Curry, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis. The team is likely to return to that unit when Curry returns.
Still, getting removed from the starting lineup is never fun. For Kuminga, it came with a loud, “BENCHED” ESPN graphic and external curiosity about the relationship between him and his head coach.
He hasn’t let it affect his play. Kuminga went 7-for-12 from the field, added six rebounds and finished a game-best plus-18.
“This is the third game in a row he’s come off the bench, and these were his three best games,” Kerr said. “The way he’s responded to a role change is perfect. That’s what we expect. The professionalism, the force that he brought coming off the bench and playing the way he has. That’s a huge sign of growth. I couldn’t be more proud of JK.”
Kuminga has said that his approach to the game hasn’t changed. He just wants to help the team win and have fun doing so.
That doesn’t mean Kuminga is content with coming off the bench. Nor should he be, Green said.
“I don’t want him to love coming off the bench,” Green said. “He believes he’s a superstar. I believe he can be a superstar. And so as long as you believe that, you shouldn’t be okay with coming off the bench. But how you respond is important. You can respond with sulking, or you can just go do what it is to help the team win and go be great. And that’s what he’s doing.”