Now, time to recap Jon Kuminga's game against Charlotte last night.
He's brought in as a defender with 9 seconds in the 1st but stays in beginning the 2nd. The Dubs have done a great job rotating from the weakside to deny entry passes. Great job to break it up without fouling
I've said Kuminga ghosts screens too often, and he's rewarded when using his body. Sets a great screen on the fake handoff before diving into open space, and Iggy finds him. Rozier gets a strip on the way up, but the ball finds Steph, and then Jon. Waits out Plumlee for the layup
Kuminga has been excellent at leaking down the floor off of shot contests and loose plays. Here he closes out on Rozier who is looking for his own shot (and not McDaniels) all the way. Steph has his head up looking for the runner and rewards Kuminga, who flushes it down with two
Another excellent read by Steph in transition rewards Kuminga for running the floor. This time, he slows up as the lead man, allowing Jonathan to enter the play with a full head of steam for the easy two
The Warriors try the Kuminga-Steph inverted pick and roll again, though this time it gets nothing. After Steph can't get a look off the dribble, Kuminga drives into an excellent spin move on McDaniels, creating room for the righty finish. He's been hunting the rim instead of 3s
Some incredible fight by Kuminga to get the rebound over Jalen McDaniels and Ish Smith, then finds a cutting Damion Lee. A nice touch pass creates a look for Steph, and the long rebound finds Kuminga again. Another pass to the cutting Lee who misses the floater
Manages to clear a very large Miles Bridges off the glass with one arm. My goodness. Yes it's probably a foul, just shows how unbelievably strong he is
Miles Bridges REALLY wants the post-up on Kuminga, who strips him on the gather with quick hands and impressive timing. Manages to save it on the baseline as well
Maybe Miles Bridges wanted revenge on Kuminga for sonning him a couple times, otherwise I have no explanation for what he was thinking. A block attempt this wild on a non-Steph halfcourt huck doesn't look like an NBA play
Great play by Damion Lee to tip the initial entry pass and make LaMelo Ball reload. When McDaniels ghosts the screen to fade high, Kuminga has an opportunity to go after LaMelo. Again his quick hands make a great steal on the perimeter off Ball
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Kerr put him in for another early stint against the Bulls, again due to a lack of hustle and defensive energy. He's immediately put on DeRozan, who baits with the up-fake and gets him airborne for the foul. He's not the first victim or the last
I love his fight against Alize Johnson on the boards. Denies him the position on the baseline, and pushes him back out towards the free throw line. Gets a hand on the ball to tip it back and finish the defensive possession
Picks up DeRozan full court and does a fantastic job. Keeping pressure on him with his body, moving his feet in sync, and staying vertical with his hands. Iguodala is able to anticipate on the dig and block the shot
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
Steph Curry obliterated the Chicago Bulls in the 3rd quarter, flipping this game to the W column with 23 total points created. How did he do it?
Unsurprisingly, lots of split action. Wiggins rolls and Steph flares, with a Looney screen as a wrinkle to create an open look.
Curry is an exceptional rebounding guard, boxing out Javonte Green on the weakside and hustling to finish the play.
Takes Green off the dribble on the other end, using a slick stop-start move to create the separation he needs. Beautiful and-1, even with the right hand
Off another rebound, Steph uses the high screen from Draymond to force a switch onto DeMar DeRozan. He's too flat to stop the Curry drive, and the entire defense is forced to collapse. A slick dump off to Looney forces the foul