Comments (not negative or constructive, just comments/observations):
1. On the layup that got blocked, Porter just wanders around instead of spotting up in the corner (like Damion did later). Then Steph and JTA just mull around in the same area. Those guys on the weak side let Okeke easily rotate super early and didn't provide any passing lanes. If defenses are going to let Kuminga go 1:1 from the the triple threat against defenders like Mulder who are smaller and less athletic, we can do better than this possession.
2. On Kuminga's missed 3 pointer, it was on line and not a bad miss. Still want him getting downhill, but it's a good sign that it wasn't a bad miss ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The issue you pointed out with guys not bothering to play off ball when he has it, means they don’t believe he will pass even if they are standing wide open with their arms up, so they aren’t going to bother wasting energy. It’s the bad version of trust.
Nice breakdown. I'm always grateful that you highlight not only the things Kuminga does well, but times he got lucky, and things he needs to work on, too. Balanced analysis is rare in the world of sports.
I'm very optimistic for Kuminga... I feel like, size aside, he's already shown several high-level skills, unfortunately not including BBIQ just yet. I guess we'll have to wait and see how that develops. But he seems willing and motivated, and he has some of the best coaches & mentors in the business behind him, so that's exciting.
I think his defensive talent and ability to guard 1-5 really raises his floor which is exciting to me given that it might take years for him to fully realize his offensive abilities.
Picking a couple of dates to see Warriors games has become almost like investing in Crypto, you’ve got to buy so far ahead to afford seats and then hope that the game features at least some starting players, decent seats tonight for Blazers but without their starting backcourt and others, hoping for a better matchup with Bucks in March, you guys can start trolling me now for whining, I guess my point is that T prices are a bummer
I thought of taking my kids at some point and did a quick search and saw it was going to cost me almost 1/3 of my monthly income… sigh… I’ll just stay on the couch I guess
A quick draft retrospective with 20 games into the season, I’m pretty happy with my sleeper picks as Ayo Dosunmu is killing It with the Bulls and Isaiah Todd is looking very good in the G League scoring 15 peg while having vastly increased his inside efficiency while expanding his silky mid range jumpsuit to the three point line hitting it at 41% on a considerable clip. Honestly, if Todd can just develop a handle . . . he can be a star in this league. As of now, as a 6’10 athletic big who can shoot from deep, he’s already got an inside track to playing time.
My final sleeper pick, Cam Thomas, isn't doing as well though which is unfortunate.
Big fan of Isaiah Todd before draft, too. Imagine if, instead of 7 & 14, Warriors drafted 8 & 13, adding Franz Wagner & Chris Duarte. Not the same future potential, but the short term payoff would have been undeniable.
Really liked what I saw of Kuminga and the excellent breakdown only bolstered that feeling. I know there's going to be plenty of derps and head-scratchers ahead, but really looking forward to some more WOW moments as well.
You realize the only reason these proposed trades exist is because Sabonis is cheap and Wiggins is good, right? There’s really no reason to break up a team that is 20-4.
Isn’t the whole plan: hire developmental coaches, develop the young guys, under the tutelage of the best player(s) and winning culture, to have another ten years of winning basketball?
Jk's: zero to rim crashing speed + height & length + weight & chest-to-chest strength + highly developed handles in traffic + way advanced for his age versatility around at the rim = a downhill player for the ages. Think Franz Klammer 1976 Olympics at Innsbruck. He's taking NBA players one on one from the 3-point line to the rim with authority. Wait until he really knows how to move properly in the system, and WITH the system. Curry-Klay-Wiggs-JK-DayDay. Now imagine him receiving the ball in the space created by this group. Or the open looks that will be generated when defenders try to help off of the shooters.
And J-Dub isn't even in the picture yet. I understand that there is a lot of potential thrown out there, but even if we take a best guess middle of the road projection of where these young guys will end up, it's really hard to comprehend. I have never seen a team with this much depth, diversity of skill, diversity of experience, quality and versatility in my life. Come playoff time, think of all the different ways the Warriors could attack on offense and defend. You could spend a day coming up with different rotations for different match ups. a healthy Klay, Wiggins & more experienced JK on the wings? Throw in GP II & Dray for a defensive stand.
The Warriors are 35-9 in their last 44 games. When they beat Portland, that's a .800 winning percentage in 45 games. And that is with Klay and 3 lottery picks on the bench. This isn't Light Speed, this is Ludicrous Speed.
For those of you too young to have seen it live, that Franz Klammer run was one of the most epic, electric performances in sports history. Damned High Praise! Nice writing, Peter Hood.
He definitely does not have a highly developed handle in traffic. His handle is functional, but he relies primarily on hesitations + his ensuing athleticism to blow by defenders. You can see his problematic handles when he drives into the middle of a defense (he almost always gets stripped/loses control).
JK, for me so far this season, has demonstrated good man to man defense with understandably limited team defense (thankfully this weakness is minimized by our overall team defense, this just takes more experience). He's also shown that he can act as a poacher offensively, scoring on the margins while occasionally taking closing defenders off the dribble using his athleticism.
The passing that he flashed during G League has not been as prominent, I guess he's hungry to score. Still, we should work toward developing his vision.
Kumingas road to impact this year is to continue that defense + opportunist scoring while also being a better passer. His road to development is A) Improve the handle, B) Improve his footwork in the triple threat position, C) Improve his jump shot (for now, u can take some mid range jump shots).
Like I hinted at in my previous post, I think this is primarily because Kuminga is hunting shots whenever he gets playing time. We saw his passing vision in G League last year + Summer League this year, it just hasn't been his focus in the limited minutes he's had on the NBA floor.
The Warriors need to make sure that his passing vision is a talent that doesn't wither on the stem, hopefully by emphasizing more versatile play in the G League.
JP3 had quite a bit of this "looking for his shot" in the first few weeks, but has settled in quite nicely lately. Agree a lot of it might be trying to "prove himself" (and vets force feeding him the ball). He'll need time with the system, the NBA, and his teammates to know what to look for.
The spin move sequence is an interesting one. He could have seen the rotation and made the calculation that the corner 3 was open for Damion. But if he can get a layup off instead, isn't that better? Mulder isn't contesting that shot anyways... He obviously missed the shot this time, and it was a spinning, sprinting, contested, off hand layup, but in the end it looked like he had plenty of space and an in control delivery off the backboard, and just missed it.
That’s the dilemma with squeezing the Rooks in with the Starters, it’s not organic, the Vets are trying to feed them and they’re trying a little too hard to impress
Let me add his handles are advanced for his age. I'm looking at the speed and force of his drives and the ball not flying into the stands regularly like we should expect. Yes, it's all very raw, for sure, but combining speed while keeping his eye on the rim while absorbing (or giving) serious contact AND mostly maintaining control of the ball shows innate skills that can only get better over time. The results will always be hit and miss for Rooks, but his 'Downhill' mentality & skill potential is on full display.
I would rather see 16 Kuminga dunks than 16 Curry 3s. With C.J. & Dame news and everything else going on, I think Curry will be respectful and just play a normal 3 quarter game. Portland has enough bad headlines, don't need Curry throwing a kegger at their house.
Oops, poured myself a decaf on accident. Our house or not, hate to see Klay's record broken before he gets back on the court. But, on the off chance that Curry pulls a rabbit out of his hat tonight, it would be a boost to his MVP campaign.
Comments (not negative or constructive, just comments/observations):
1. On the layup that got blocked, Porter just wanders around instead of spotting up in the corner (like Damion did later). Then Steph and JTA just mull around in the same area. Those guys on the weak side let Okeke easily rotate super early and didn't provide any passing lanes. If defenses are going to let Kuminga go 1:1 from the the triple threat against defenders like Mulder who are smaller and less athletic, we can do better than this possession.
2. On Kuminga's missed 3 pointer, it was on line and not a bad miss. Still want him getting downhill, but it's a good sign that it wasn't a bad miss ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The issue you pointed out with guys not bothering to play off ball when he has it, means they don’t believe he will pass even if they are standing wide open with their arms up, so they aren’t going to bother wasting energy. It’s the bad version of trust.
Or an issue of just not playing together often... we haven't exactly had dribble penetration from our center before
In the GL games, it felt like JK's jump shot had noticably more arc in it... couldn't tell from this shot though.
Nice breakdown. I'm always grateful that you highlight not only the things Kuminga does well, but times he got lucky, and things he needs to work on, too. Balanced analysis is rare in the world of sports.
I'm very optimistic for Kuminga... I feel like, size aside, he's already shown several high-level skills, unfortunately not including BBIQ just yet. I guess we'll have to wait and see how that develops. But he seems willing and motivated, and he has some of the best coaches & mentors in the business behind him, so that's exciting.
This just gave me an idea, I’m curious why Andre and Draymond looked like as rookies, did their bball iq shine immediately or took time?
What, not why
I think his defensive talent and ability to guard 1-5 really raises his floor which is exciting to me given that it might take years for him to fully realize his offensive abilities.
Picking a couple of dates to see Warriors games has become almost like investing in Crypto, you’ve got to buy so far ahead to afford seats and then hope that the game features at least some starting players, decent seats tonight for Blazers but without their starting backcourt and others, hoping for a better matchup with Bucks in March, you guys can start trolling me now for whining, I guess my point is that T prices are a bummer
Everybody wants to see the best show in town.
I thought of taking my kids at some point and did a quick search and saw it was going to cost me almost 1/3 of my monthly income… sigh… I’ll just stay on the couch I guess
A quick draft retrospective with 20 games into the season, I’m pretty happy with my sleeper picks as Ayo Dosunmu is killing It with the Bulls and Isaiah Todd is looking very good in the G League scoring 15 peg while having vastly increased his inside efficiency while expanding his silky mid range jumpsuit to the three point line hitting it at 41% on a considerable clip. Honestly, if Todd can just develop a handle . . . he can be a star in this league. As of now, as a 6’10 athletic big who can shoot from deep, he’s already got an inside track to playing time.
My final sleeper pick, Cam Thomas, isn't doing as well though which is unfortunate.
Hey I want a silky mid range jumpsuit!
Big fan of Isaiah Todd before draft, too. Imagine if, instead of 7 & 14, Warriors drafted 8 & 13, adding Franz Wagner & Chris Duarte. Not the same future potential, but the short term payoff would have been undeniable.
Anything that decreases the Nets’ chances is fortunate, in my book! :-)
Really liked what I saw of Kuminga and the excellent breakdown only bolstered that feeling. I know there's going to be plenty of derps and head-scratchers ahead, but really looking forward to some more WOW moments as well.
Wiseman, Kuminga, Lee/any min salary for Sabonis anyone? Just acquire all the kids of players?
This is a Rorschach test.
I guarantee you Pacer fans would not make this trade, yet Warrior fans won't either.
We think we're trading away two future all stars, Pacer fans see two overhyped busts and a borderline rotation player.
(Shielding eyes from more trade proposals)
You realize the only reason these proposed trades exist is because Sabonis is cheap and Wiggins is good, right? There’s really no reason to break up a team that is 20-4.
Let's see the All-NBA sons of former players team. Might have to recall the Red Mamba from Italy.
I can't see the Warriors making any kind of significant move. They are tied for the best record in the NBA and Klay will be back in a couple of weeks.
Nope.
No.
Isn’t the whole plan: hire developmental coaches, develop the young guys, under the tutelage of the best player(s) and winning culture, to have another ten years of winning basketball?
Jk's: zero to rim crashing speed + height & length + weight & chest-to-chest strength + highly developed handles in traffic + way advanced for his age versatility around at the rim = a downhill player for the ages. Think Franz Klammer 1976 Olympics at Innsbruck. He's taking NBA players one on one from the 3-point line to the rim with authority. Wait until he really knows how to move properly in the system, and WITH the system. Curry-Klay-Wiggs-JK-DayDay. Now imagine him receiving the ball in the space created by this group. Or the open looks that will be generated when defenders try to help off of the shooters.
And J-Dub isn't even in the picture yet. I understand that there is a lot of potential thrown out there, but even if we take a best guess middle of the road projection of where these young guys will end up, it's really hard to comprehend. I have never seen a team with this much depth, diversity of skill, diversity of experience, quality and versatility in my life. Come playoff time, think of all the different ways the Warriors could attack on offense and defend. You could spend a day coming up with different rotations for different match ups. a healthy Klay, Wiggins & more experienced JK on the wings? Throw in GP II & Dray for a defensive stand.
The Warriors are 35-9 in their last 44 games. When they beat Portland, that's a .800 winning percentage in 45 games. And that is with Klay and 3 lottery picks on the bench. This isn't Light Speed, this is Ludicrous Speed.
The Warriors are about to go plaid.
For those of you too young to have seen it live, that Franz Klammer run was one of the most epic, electric performances in sports history. Damned High Praise! Nice writing, Peter Hood.
Glad someone remembered. I was 8 years old when I saw it and it still stands up today.
10 points for the space balls ref
And a bonus 20 points for this being the third hilarious and wonderful post in two days!
He definitely does not have a highly developed handle in traffic. His handle is functional, but he relies primarily on hesitations + his ensuing athleticism to blow by defenders. You can see his problematic handles when he drives into the middle of a defense (he almost always gets stripped/loses control).
JK, for me so far this season, has demonstrated good man to man defense with understandably limited team defense (thankfully this weakness is minimized by our overall team defense, this just takes more experience). He's also shown that he can act as a poacher offensively, scoring on the margins while occasionally taking closing defenders off the dribble using his athleticism.
The passing that he flashed during G League has not been as prominent, I guess he's hungry to score. Still, we should work toward developing his vision.
Kumingas road to impact this year is to continue that defense + opportunist scoring while also being a better passer. His road to development is A) Improve the handle, B) Improve his footwork in the triple threat position, C) Improve his jump shot (for now, u can take some mid range jump shots).
yeah, biggest Kuminga disappointment so far this year has been the lack of (much touted by his teammates/coach!) passing vision
When the play develops in front of him (ie, on a fast break) I think his vision is on point.
In the half court, I do think he's still adjusting to the speed of NBA players. His reads are coming a beat too slow.
Like I hinted at in my previous post, I think this is primarily because Kuminga is hunting shots whenever he gets playing time. We saw his passing vision in G League last year + Summer League this year, it just hasn't been his focus in the limited minutes he's had on the NBA floor.
The Warriors need to make sure that his passing vision is a talent that doesn't wither on the stem, hopefully by emphasizing more versatile play in the G League.
JP3 had quite a bit of this "looking for his shot" in the first few weeks, but has settled in quite nicely lately. Agree a lot of it might be trying to "prove himself" (and vets force feeding him the ball). He'll need time with the system, the NBA, and his teammates to know what to look for.
The spin move sequence is an interesting one. He could have seen the rotation and made the calculation that the corner 3 was open for Damion. But if he can get a layup off instead, isn't that better? Mulder isn't contesting that shot anyways... He obviously missed the shot this time, and it was a spinning, sprinting, contested, off hand layup, but in the end it looked like he had plenty of space and an in control delivery off the backboard, and just missed it.
That’s the dilemma with squeezing the Rooks in with the Starters, it’s not organic, the Vets are trying to feed them and they’re trying a little too hard to impress
Would prefer to see some games penciled for regular minutes instead of score dependent, perhaps choosing based on matchups
Let me add his handles are advanced for his age. I'm looking at the speed and force of his drives and the ball not flying into the stands regularly like we should expect. Yes, it's all very raw, for sure, but combining speed while keeping his eye on the rim while absorbing (or giving) serious contact AND mostly maintaining control of the ball shows innate skills that can only get better over time. The results will always be hit and miss for Rooks, but his 'Downhill' mentality & skill potential is on full display.
Well, JK should get plenty of run tonight with Blazers Lillard and now McCollum out
We’ll see a lot of that in a couple weeks once they’ve clinch 1st place and home court advantage
He's going to get plenty of run tonight. in Santa Cruz. (rimshot!)
I would rather see 16 Kuminga dunks than 16 Curry 3s. With C.J. & Dame news and everything else going on, I think Curry will be respectful and just play a normal 3 quarter game. Portland has enough bad headlines, don't need Curry throwing a kegger at their house.
How dare you say you'd rather see 16 dunks then curry break 2 three point records against dames team
It's Curry's house to throw a kegger at if he wants. Chase is most certainly not their house.
Portland has a nice "but we are all hurt, so it didn't really count" excuse.
Fans get three quarters of human torch play followed by a quarter of the beautiful game.
Klay gets a new goal for his return.
We get to stop worrying about when the record will be broken, because from here on out the answer is "EVERY DAMN NIGHT"
I for one am here for it and will be chained to my couch ready to scare the cat and my wife with my yelling.
Oops, poured myself a decaf on accident. Our house or not, hate to see Klay's record broken before he gets back on the court. But, on the off chance that Curry pulls a rabbit out of his hat tonight, it would be a boost to his MVP campaign.