Kuminga's value to Warriors grows clearer in win over Pistons

There are receipts

The Golden State Warriors layed the smackdown on the Detroit Pistons 102-86 last night in Chase Center. There was plenty to be happy about for Dub Nation, including a quality night from rookie Jonathan Kuminga who started in place of the injured Draymond Green.

Monte Poole @MontePooleNBCS

At 19 years, 104 days, Jonathan Kuminga’s double-double (12p, 10r) makes him the second-youngest Warrior to achieve the feat. Andris Biedrins did it two weeks before his 19th birthday.

In Green’s absence, we’re seeing Kuminga take advantage of the playing time, and in turn he’s becoming more and more valuable to the Dubs.

Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value.

- Albert Einstein

One of the fascinating parts about living on this planet is ascertaining value. How do we value our time, our relationships, and even ourselves? What’s valuable to one person may be irrelevant to you and vice versa.

That’s why sports debates can be so fun (and maddening): invested pundits with varying degrees of credibility boldly making claims about the perceived value that players/coaches/GM’s bring to franchises.

The James Wiseman/Lamelo Ball debate during the 2020 draft rang that bell. How valuable would each player’s skillset be with the specific style the Warriors play? And how soon on their development timeline could they become any semblance of the missing puzzle pieces the Dubs were searching for?

The jury is still out on Wiseman, injury bug be damned. But the conversation revealed a lot about what the front office valued (standing pat and developing their young guys) contrary to what outside observers felt (trade assets for a superstar).

Jake Clark @mrclarkinc

If they keep Kuminga, i’m not even being dramatic here, I really hope they let the core go. I wanna see those guys finish their careers in contention. Watching them waste away w/ a bunch of project kids will be awful.

D.O.C @darwinchvz320

Warriors got an A- for drafting some kids, signing Otto’s fragile ass, signing Iggy’s old ass, and getting Bjecila and the Lakers got a C- for adding an All Star with role players to improve spacing?

Sports Illustrated @SInow

Warriors: A- Clippers: A- Lakers: C- Blazers: D+ Full NBA offseason grades for the Western Conference ⬇️ https://t.co/Cui26M5f5M

Evan Zamir @thecity2

I feel like the Warriors have so many points of failure. Everything needs to go perfectly for them to compete for like a 4-6th seed basically.

The perfect fit

One way I look at value for GSW is how smoothly a player can help them consistently replicate what their system demands.

For example: constant movement of players and ball is what has made the Splash Bros damn near unguardable. Last night Klay Thompson led the team with a season high 21 points last night while Stephen Curry added 18 points and 6 assists.

NBA @NBA

Leading the way in the @warriors win, Klay Thompson went off for 17 PTS in the first half on his way to a season-high 21 PTS! 💧

But those two guys alone aren’t enough. The Dubs need players around them to keep the machine humming whether they are on or off the floor. Swap Thompson out for Otto Porter Jr. and you get enough of a resemblance of floor spacing, passing, and wing size that in spot minutes OPJ can look like he’s about to go for 60 points on 11 dribbles.

Shooting and defending like that? Yeah, OPJ is valuable.

Which makes Andrew Wiggins HELLA valuable. He has the size and quickness to defend multiple positions, the finishing ability to put rim pressure on opponents, and the outside shooting touch to keep Golden State’s spacing at optimal levels. Right now he’s averaging 18.5 PPG on 48% shooting from the field, 42% shooting from beyond the arc.

For reference, there have been 21 times in NBA history that a player finished with these numbers or greater while hoisting at least 150 3PT attempts in a season. Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Reggie Miller are on that list. Klay Thompson did it in the 2017-2018 season. Stephen Curry has done it three times: both MVP seasons and last year.

Wiggins is slotting right into that Splash Bros-level efficiency. He scored 19 points last night on 8-of-13 shooting (3-of-7 from beyond the arc) with 3 steals. He fits into the system gloriously and his value is being punctuated on a nightly basis as he heads toward an All-Star berth.

Calvin Fong @CalFongNBA

Wiggins is feasting off the open space from Steph and Klay. 19 points on 61.5% shooting tonight #AndrewWiggins #NBAAllStar

Breaking the mold

But there’s another way I look at value for this team. That would be adding a dimension that they didn’t already have without sacrificing efficiency or defensive force. That’s the dream with Wiseman; an athletic giant who can play above the rim and do freakish things no one else on the roster can do. Here’s an example of that against the Pistons last season:

Ideally, the Warriors would develop or add a talent who could fulfill both archetypes: the optimal system fit who has the physical gifts to call his own number sometimes and do something jaw dropping.

Folks, I believe Jonathan Kuminga has a very good chance of being that guy.

Bonta Hill @BontaHill

Kuminga does things you just can't teach.

He can shoot…

Warriors on NBCS @NBCSWarriors

Kuminga with another three 💥

Grant Liffmann @GrantLiffmann

Kuminga 3pt shooting: First 18 games: 2-17 (11.8%) Last 13** games: 13-33 (39.3%)

Grant Liffmann @GrantLiffmann

Jonathan Kuminga over the last 11 games is shooting 39.3% from deep (13-33)

He can make passes in traffic…

Kelly O'Meara Morales @_itskellyo

Jonathan Kuminga does a quasi-fake of a DHO with Steph Curry, drives and euros past his defender, and hits a cutting Steph Curry who fakes and gets a baseline reverse layup

Tim Kawakami @timkawakami

Kuminga taking advantage of the Curry/Klay gravity is intriguing.

He can also apparently be everywhere on the court at once, from defending a pick-and-roll at the three-point line to leaping back and snaring the rebound.

Warriors on NBCS @NBCSWarriors

"One day down the line it'll be his team or he'll be a huge part of the team." Klay is excited for Jonathan Kuminga's future with the Warriors

If he continues to develop like this, the Warriors will look like geniuses…AGAIN.

95.7 The Game @957thegame

Wiggins on Kuminga: “He’s believing in himself and when he does that nobody can stop him. He’s God-gifted.”