Jonathan Kuminga earned 3 rotation stints over the past 4 games, the first coming against Atlanta. Kerr injects him for energy and defense in a sluggish first. I'll thread the first game below.
Watch him track and affect this shot up the floor. The closing speed is incredible
A play I showed in my Steph vs. Atlanta thread, where Kuminga recognizes Collins has lost him and continues his momentum towards the hoop. Steph finds him with the entry pass and Reddish has no choice but to foul him
I'm no shot doctor but Kuminga's release needs a bit of work. I like his no-nonsense gather and commitment to track the flight of the ball off his release, which improves hand-eye in the long term. I do think shooting THAT high in front of his face makes it tough to find rhythm
Kuminga again uses his downhill momentum to create an advantage. This time, Bjelica finds him in transition. Uses the wrong hand which doesn't help an already difficult layup get any easier. But his hustle on the offensive glass creates a second look for Steph
Great recognition by Steph seeing that Gallinari has Gary Payton II in the post, switching with Kuminga so Jon can help when the post-up comes. Kuminga shows good awareness too, sealing off Solomon Hill on the glass. Steph 1v1 vs Huerter for a board is a mismatch, 2v2 not so much
In the late shot-clock situation, Kuminga makes a couple rookie mistakes. Like an NFL receiver, he seems to be thinking about what he's going to do with the ball before securing it, and it clangs away. He compounds the mistake by fouling Delon Wright while ATL is in the bonus.
Kuminga now soaking up some garbage time, where he can play more freely. I don't love his tendency to ghost screens in favor of getting a clean sprint downhill, calling for the lob without an angle. Makes a well-timed cut on JTA's drive but the pass is a bit behind him
I like Kuminga's recognition here. He knows he can force the switch and get onto the low block against Wright and create a mismatch, so he calls for the ball. But the play swings to the other side of the floor into a successful Jordan Poole DHO
Not sure if he's anticipating the dribble handoff to TLC, but Kuminga gets caught playing far too high by Delon Wright who immediately takes him to the cup, and forces a foul. The positioning mistakes are decreasing compared to his time with the G-League on the whole, however
A play a couple mins before that sets up Wright's drive. He skates Kuminga off the dribble, who is saved by JTA's excellent help defense. Juan also trusts Kuminga to recover out on Dieng, and he gets a deflection while recovering to the corner.
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