Jonathan Kuminga '24-'25 Season Review: What is the happy ending in this relationship?

Currently in a contract standoff with the Warriors, Kuminga is on the verge of betting himself in a big way. Is that what Golden State needs though?

How important is basketball to me? I thought about that flying back from my Grandfather's memorial, heart full and legs wobbly from my first flight since my summer medical procedure.

During my trip to Papa's place, we found his perfectly preserved photos from McClymonds High School in Oakland. He was a handsome young brotha hellbent on making something of himself. His bold grin and excited eyes startled me; I'd never seen him so young and full of fervor.

Then we went through his immaculately wrapped Sports Illustrated covers graced by Wilt Chamberlain and Lew Alcindor. Papa was a fanatic for those legendary behemoths who battled well before I was born, yet have legacies that continue profound cultural impacts. As Papa spent over 40 years as a Bay Area civil servant, I can only imagine how those legends motivated and inspired him raising his family through the decades starting in the 60s.

And isn't that basketball's coolest thing? The inspiration. Not only their physical prowess as they sky around the hardwood like Broadway dancers, shooting from impossible angles like Wild West trickshots, but how they lift teammates, fans, and cities into frenzies that make winter nights electric and potentially lead to summer parades. We know a few things about parades, don't we Dub Nation?

But in the pressure to continue to make sure Stephen Curry's legacy has some more parades (he's only two away from catching the mythical Michael Jordan), the Golden State Warriors are under unrelenting scrutiny. They have the interesting distinction of being so dominant over the last decade that there's a group of youth that grew up thinking the Warriors are the most powerful dynasty in sports. Meanwhile there’s hella folks my age and up who remember GSW squandering season after season with soul crushing ineptitude. Organizational trust is still being forged on a yearly basis, fair or not.

So back in 2022 when the Warriors won their fourth title of the Curry era, it reminded everyone that they were always more than Kevin Durant's hype men. It also was awesome because they still had youth on their side after securing three lottery picks in two seasons. They were unabashedly seeking rangy, bouncy types who could fly around the court in the style of the super athletes like Giannis Antetokounmpo or LeBron James.

Despite the Warriors breaking the league playing a high IQ, finesse, showtime style of basketball, they still craved that powerful athlete whose size and aggression could rattle rims and prowl with defensive tenacity. You know, someone like who we all thought Anthony Randolph would be.

As my favorite player ever 2020’s forgotten former overall #2 pick James Wiseman faded from the team due to a combination of injuries and uneven play, 2021’s #7 overall pick Jonathan Kuminga took the mantle of "young super athlete that will make life easier for Curry's twilight years." And if you consider that in three of Golden State's four championships, it was the small forward who won 75% of those NBA Finals MVPs? It was easy to see how Kuminga's potential could supercharge Golden State's aging dynasty.

And let’s not forget Kuminga's unusual rise to the NBA from the Congo. From the GQ piece on him: “In basically the blink of an eye, Jonathan Kuminga went from a child playing basketball in his native Democratic Republic of Congo to an American boarding school student—and eventually to first-round draft pick and NBA champion with the Golden State Warriors. Upon his 2016 arrival at Mountain Mission School in Grundy, Virginia, Kuminga had never seen snow. Just six years later, as a 19-year-old rookie, he became the second-youngest player to ever hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy.”

Wow, how important is the game of basketball to Kuminga? Think about this sport is fast tracking JK to a new life according to how much hard work, dedication, and talent he has shown. And heck, beyond generational wealth opportunities, he could always become a sports immortal whose name people will still utter in whispered tones decades after he’s stopped dribbling.

With that in mind we know the Warriors absolutely want to keep full steam ahead on their march towards franchise immortality nobody wants to be accused of squandering the Curry era, right?

So help me out here folks. With a hungry young talent oozing in generational athleticism chomping at the bit, and the Warriors in need of youthful athleticism to keep pace with the young guns of the league, why is nobody sure what happens next with their relationship?

2024: The Summer of Possibility

Remember last summer when we were talking about him taking the leap forward?

We were still buzzing about his third year, which featured a perfect game off the bench against the Hawks. Kuminga dazzled with 25 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks, shooting a perfect 11-for-11 from the field.

This was the level of hype we were at: "There were more flashes of big-time potential in the 2023-24 campaign from him, and going into his fourth year, he could seemingly be set for another step forward with Golden State. He has to round out his game more to get to another level in years ahead, but he's a young player that has shown he has plenty of ability already. If Kuminga can put it together, he could be a star."

But last fall we could feel Kuminga going from high-upside youngster to a player whose role became uncertain. Coach Steve Kerr had even slotted him in the starting lineup for the first three games of the 2024-2025 season, which didn't go well per Monte Poole's piece for NBC entitled "The Jonathan Kuminga Experiment: Why it's now or never for Warriors."

Kuminga's first three-plus NBA seasons have not been enough to provide a definitive answer. It has been an exasperating brew of flash and fizzle, with dazzling highlights interrupted by vexing lapses. JK crushes an opponent one night, harms the Warriors the next.

Kuminga opened the season in the starting lineup and lasted three games before Kerr, following analytics and the eye test, scrapped that experiment. JK averaged 8.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, was 8 of 24 from the field, including 1 of 9 beyond the arc. He had three assists and five turnovers.

Kuminga is the notorious 'tweener,' as referred to by so many scouts. He's a power forward who grabs fewer rebounds than guards Brandin Podziemski and Curry, or he's a small forward who is eighth on the team in assists and in 3-point shooting percentage.

So during an up-and-down start to the season in which Kuminga said most players would have "QUIT AND NEEDED THERAPY" if they were in his position of an inconsistent role, it became clear that Coach Steve Kerr wasn't budging on what version of Kuminga would be acceptable. I.E. less emphasis on his individual stats and more on running Golden State’s motion offense which is designed to highlight Curry.

"This is the JK we want," Kerr said after Golden State lost for the 10th time in 13 games. "Spent a lot of time in the paint, took care of the ball. Had a couple really nice passes. Found Buddy Hield for 3 on a beautiful play and really attacked. So this is a great example of how JK needs to play. I'm really proud of him for coming out, playing that way... He's getting better, and it's fun to watch his development."

Following the Warriors' 113-103 win at Minnesota on Saturday, Kerr ended his postgame news conference by emphasizing that the coaching staff has been trying to get the young players to understand that the Warriors "don't need contested 17-footers with 12 on the shot clock," and that with Curry, young players need to move the ball for a better shot.

Hmmmmm.

December flashes/January injury

After this, Kuminga crystallized the "rising star or trade piece" argument with a string of standout holiday performances against divisional rivals.

Kuminga had his breakout moment in late December with back-to-back 34-point performances—first against the Clippers on December 27th (34 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists in a loss), then tying that career high the next night against the Suns on December 28th (34 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists) in a thrilling 109-105 win where he made the go-ahead free throw with 29 seconds left.

According to Brett Usher's analysis, over a four-game stretch in late December, Kuminga averaged 27.0 PPG with 64.3% true shooting, 8.3 RPG, and 3.0 APG, looking like "the breakout player so many of us expected to see this season."

December felt like prophecy fulfilled. January felt like a train wreck for his season.

On January 4th, Kuminga suffered a sprained ankle in a win over Memphis and missed 31 consecutive games. Ouch. This ultimately opened the window for the team to trade for star Jimmy Butler, and also put Kuminga's role in question. Here's ESPN's take on Kuminga's stock before he returned from that extended injury absence:

Prior to his injury, Kuminga was playing the best basketball of his career, averaging 20.5 points in his past 14 games. He had scored 20 or more points in four of the six games before the game in which he injured his ankle. During that stretch, Kuminga scored 34 points twice.

Coach Steve Kerr said Kuminga will come off the bench when he returns as he has settled on a starting lineup with Golden State surging. Since acquiring Jimmy Butler prior to the trade deadline in early February, the Warriors have won 12 of 14 games, including going 12-1 with Butler in the lineup.

So yeah, the Warriors were balling without JK once Jimmy arrived. Here’s Kuminga’s numbers split across the All Star break.

Pre-All Star Break: 26.0 minutes, 16.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 45.9% shooting
Post-All Star Break: 20.8 minutes, 12.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 44.1% shooting

The most telling number isn't the 4.6-point scoring drop; it's those minutes. From 26.0 to 20.8 per game represents more than just reduced playing time; it's a demotion from featured player to role contributor. That's the difference between being part of the core rotation and fighting for scraps in a championship chase. Sometimes the cruelest part about professional sports isn't the lack of development; it's developing at the wrong time.

By season's end, despite individual highlights, the questions persisted. His final averages of 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists on 45.4% shooting aren't overwhelming. And he notably fell out of key postseason rotations amid concerns about his fit alongside Butler and the established core.

The Final Verdict: April-May Game Logs

From April 13th, when they had pretty much all do-or-die games to either get in the playoffs or win playoff games, Kuminga had a fascinating series of game logs.

Overall Performance:

• Games Played: 8

• Did Not Play: 6 games

• Average: 23.4 minutes, 15.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.25 assists per game

Six times during a month-long stretch that included playoff seeding battles and postseason elimination games, a 22-year-old averaging over 15 points per game when given the chance sat on the bench watching must-win basketball unfold without him.

The 23.4 minutes per game average across his eight appearances masks the real story—those numbers include everything from garbage-time cameos (7 minutes vs Houston on May 4th) to playoff heroics (36 minutes vs Minnesota on May 10th). When the Warriors needed athleticism and energy most, they chose familiarity over production more often than not.

What makes those DNPs particularly striking is that when Kuminga finally got consistent run in the final four games, he responded with 24+ points per game. Oh yeah, those games were when Curry wasn't playing with injury.

Games With Curry Available (4 games - April 23, 26, May 4, 6):

• 15.8 minutes per game

• 6.3 points per game

• 1.5 rebounds per game

• 1.3 assists per game

Games Without Curry (4 games - May 8, 10, 12, 14):

• 31.0 minutes per game

• 24.3 points per game

• 3.5 rebounds per game

• 1.3 assists per game

Considering the team didn't win a single game without Curry, does it really matter what Kuminga did in his absence? Or is that a pessimistic view that invalidates the young man doing exactly what he was asked to do in terms of being ready to contribute when his name is called? Here’s his postseason shot chart, where he shot 48% from the field:

The Weight of What Basketball Means

Sitting in that plane, thinking about Papa's Sports Illustrated collection and Kuminga's journey, I keep coming back to what basketball represents: the possibility of transformation. This includes that young man from the Congo becoming a star beyond his wildest dreams. But is that the key to a dynasty's continuation?

The contract drama provides the ultimate context: reports had Kuminga seeking around $30 million and a more guaranteed, consistent starting role and featured opportunity. Which is basically everything December 2024 suggested he was ready to earn, and everything the injury and Butler acquisition complicated. Butler's arrival showed us how quickly the basketball world moves on.

Monte Poole wrote these words about Butler’s presence affecting Kuminga’s Warriors career:

The case for keeping Kuminga on the roster was considerably weakened on the afternoon of Feb. 6 when Butler was acquired in a trade with the Miami Heat. With the Warriors going in circles with or without Kuminga, Dunleavy gambled on Butler and hoped the move would put the squad back into the NBA playoff picture.

It did. The Warriors, 25-26 before Butler’s debut, won 14 of 16 games immediately after Butler joined the roster. Over the final 31 regular-season games, they were 23-8 – third-best record in the league – with a core of Stephen Cury, Draymond Green and Butler.

Golden State was 13-2 with Butler while Kuminga was inactive with a right ankle sprain. That effectively sealed the young forward’s fate. The Warriors might have consulted an attorney to start divorce proceedings.

The Warriors and Kuminga find themselves at that crossroads now. This isn't just about whether a 22-year-old can consistently harness his physical gifts—it's about whether December 2024 was a preview of his prime or the high-water mark of his potential. Whether that month represented growth or just another flash in his exasperating career-long pattern. On Tim Kawakami’s podcast Coach Kerr said he envisions a Shawn Marion or Aaron Gordon type role for JK, and that there’s a dilemma in trying to fit Kuminga’s current skillset to the team:

“It’s a tricky one because Jonathan obviously is gifted and wants to play a bigger role and wants to play more,” Kerr said on my podcast Wednesday. “And for me, I’ve been asked to win. And right now, he’s not a guy who I can say I’m going to play 38 minutes with the roster that we have — Steph and Jimmy and Draymond — and put the puzzle together that way and expect to win. …

“All I do is I try to win. That doesn’t necessarily mean everybody’s going to be happy, whether it’s the fans, or the players, or management, whatever, it’s just I’ve gotta do what I think is best.”

So here's where we stand right now:

League sources tell Anthony Slater that Kuminga still views himself as a future All-Star and is trying to find a home where he can have an expansive offensive role to showcase his abilities. The 22-year-old forward had a rocky playoff run, having been outside of the rotation for most of the first-round series against Houston, only to have a featured role in the second-round series vs. Minnesota after Stephen Curry sustained a hamstring strain.

Kuminga was an effective and efficient scorer (24.3 PPG on .554/.389/.720 shooting) in those four games against a strong defense, Slater notes, giving some credence to the notion that the former lottery pick could put up big individual numbers under the right conditions. And despite some differences of opinion in how Kuminga sees—and values—himself and the way the team has wanted him to play, none of the differences between the involved parties are 'irreconcilable,' according to Slater's sources.

Have we already seen the best version of Jonathan Kuminga in a Warriors uniform? Sometimes the most important questions don't have clean answers. But this is the type of pressurized questions that rest on those who dare to seek a career in the NBA, and for that young man from the Congo this test looms over his contract negotiations. Somewhere is there someone out there carefully putting Kuminga articles into careful storage, inspired by his quest for greatness like my Papa storing those old articles on Wilt and Kareem?

Kuminga’s journey from the Congo embodies basketball's transformative power. And for everyone who understands that inspiration without execution is just heartbreak in slow motion? It’s difficult to know how the Kuminga chapter plays out.

Alright HQ, what are your thoughts on Kuminga’s up and down season and his future with your Golden State Warriors?