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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It's time for a mega-thread of Kevon Looney's statue-building 4/20/9 performance against the Kings to deliver the win on...4/20. Let's dive into it.
First and foremost is the rebounding. He needed to do it all by himself for GSW to get a rebounding edge, and did just that. Watch how he gets positioned and coiled with Sabonis boxing him out, preparing to spring for the board at the exact right moment.
Look at the effort to save this end-of-shotclock heave. Without even having good position or any help, he uses his determination and long reach to fight for the rebound over three Kings all by himself
Let's talk about James Wiseman's 30-point performance against Brooklyn. The third-year center posted a career-high 30 points, showing off a lot of his strengths alongside his weaknesses. Time to take a closer look at the tape:
Wiseman is assertive about wanting the ball in the post, and it's even more of a weapon against a small-ball team like Brooklyn. When almost every player defending you is a physical mismatch, get position and make decisive moves to the basket.
It requires some craft to pick the right times to flash open in the post. After Jordan Poole runs the baseline cut, expecting an Anthony Lamb exit screen, Wise flashes to the middle with deep position on Royce O'Neale, then turns and slams off the catch.
Every Warriors fan knows how Steph gets mauled shooting on a nightly basis, but last nights game against Portland was egregious. I watched every jump shot from both teams from last night to point out how ridiculously ignorant referees are of how Steph is defended. Threaded below.
First possession of the game, Steph uses the Kevon Looney screen to get freed at the break. Dennis Smith Jr. is able to mostly wiggle around it but catches Steph on the wrist. You can see him pull his arm back, the classic sign of guilt. No call.
Take your pick: Little clearly gets Steph on the wrist while also taking up a good chunk of his landing space. Directly in front of the ref. No call
Gonna thread some Emoni Bates clips here in anticipation of more #words
Wanted to qualify all of this by saying this entire Memphis offense is a mess, so starting with a clip that shows some of that. No movement, cutters, screens, everyone staring at the ball.
Emoni is pretty good at using his height on defense when in the lane. Denies any lane for a good shot or entry pass and forces the player into a tough hook shot off the glass
I get why people saw the Kevin Durant in Emoni Bates through his high school/youth circuit days. For a 6’9” wing this is some impressive control of his momentum to slow himself into a controlled shot.
Posting some Franz clips that stood out against the Dubs because he rocks and everyone should know about him.
Using the WCJ screen, Franz gets leverage on Wiggins and puts him in hip jail. That allows him to wait for WCJ to recover and seal off the paint, then he goes up for two
Great way to manipulate Jordan Poole's tag from the far side. When Franz drives, Wendell Carter dives, and that forces the tag on WCJ from Poole so that Draymond isn't 1v2 in the paint. Franz reads it all the way, firing the ball to the far corner for the open three
Another example of Franz's size, handle and patience getting him a layup. Switched on Jordan Poole, he already has the size mismatch, and WCJ vacates the paint along with Kevon Looney. Once Loon is out, Franz spins away from him and Draymond to go up strong over Poole for two
Throwing out some clips from the Dubs' blowout against the Orlando Magic last night, as we got a big dose of the whole roster.
With Kevon coming to screen Cole Anthony's left, Mo Bamba follows him, and Steph spins in the opposite direction to get the open three. Nasty stuff
Jordan Poole's start/stop ability is just incredible. With Gary Harris not anticipating the Draymond screen, there's no chance for Orlando to stop this bucket
Great slow-mo shot of Jordan Poole using the eye/head fake to get Gary Harris up in the air before dropping the pass off to Gary Payton II