The Golden State Warriors put up a terrific performance to stun the Milwaukee Bucks at Chase Center yesterday. A contest that was expected to be close, was pretty one-sided right from the get-go. The bout witnessed a lead change only once and ended 125-90 in favor of Steve Kerr’s boys. While Stephen Curry was the star of the night with a solid 29-point performance, Jonathan Kuminga also grabbed the attention of the basketball world after a strong showing.
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Being the Warriors’ 2nd scoring option, Kuminga was efficient from the field as he recorded 20 points on 64.3% shooting, with 50% from the three-point line. However, the 21-year-old’s performance on the defensive end of the floor was far more impressive.
Due to the Bay Area side’s small-ball lineup, JK was one of the tallest players on the floor. Hence, he had a huge role to play in preventing the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez from going on a scoring outburst. By tallying three blocks and two steals, it is pretty evident that the youngster did an exceptional job at the same.
Following the win, the Dubs forward spoke about his new role, speaking about his outstanding two-way performance. Explaining how he would be one of the tallest players on the floor at any given time, Kuminga emphasized the importance of him doing the “small jobs”, such as defending and rebounding.
“I was just locked in on defense…It’s not an easy job to play against a dude like him (Brook Lopez)… We don’t have anybody starting out there taller than 6ft 9” or 6ft 8”. So, definitely me being out there, I feel like I gotta do all the small jobs like blocking shots, rebounding…just being physical,” Kuminga explained.
There were numerous other instances, that didn’t reflect on the stat sheet, where the athletic forward put his body on the line, resulting in the GSW’s win.
Jonathan Kuminga is in the midst of a breakout season
Before the season commenced, the Golden State Warriors wouldn’t envision being at the 9th spot with almost 20 games remaining in the campaign. Even though the franchise can make a playoff push, their performance has been subpar, to say the least. However, amid a disappointing year, Jonathan Kuminga’s performance has been one of the few positive takeaways.
Once Draymond Green was slapped with the indefinite suspension, JK did a great job filling in for the four-time champ. Since mid-December 2023, the 6ft 7” player has averaged a staggering 17.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists, solidifying his place in the starting lineup.
Kuminga also played a huge role in Steve Kerr’s team’s 11-3 record in February. Suiting up for all of the games, he averaged 18.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game. By assisting Steph Curry to lead the Warriors to four wins in the past five games, Kuminga is largely responsible for the team rising in the standings and now sitting only 0.5 games behind the #8 Dallas Mavericks.
