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Jonathan Kuminga is having fun. The Golden State Warriors rookie forward had a solid game, contributing 19 points and seven rebounds off the bench even as the Dubs lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves 119-99 on Sunday night. His team's performance notwithstanding, Kuminga is averaging 19.7 ppg and 5.7 rpg while shooting 52.5% from the field for the Dubs in their last three contests.
But Kuminga has more essential duties, too, for the Warriors. When asked if he was more of a chess or checkers player for in-flight entertainment during the Warriors' road trips, Kuminga replied:
"I don't play neither of those games but I just gotta do my rookie duty and carry that for Klay."
"He's made big strides here in recent weeks," says Steve Kerr about Jonathan Kuminga
19-year-old Jonathan Kuminga was the seventh overall pick in the 2021 Draft Class. He has played 31 games and has already started twice for the Golden State Warriors this season. Kuminga is averaging 6.4 ppg while shooting 48.6% from the floor in his rookie season for the Warriors.
Kuminga's best stretch so far has been the Warriors' recent four-game road trip after he was recalled from the Dubs' G-League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors. Although Kuminga didn't play in the first of those four games in Memphis, he clearly made an impact for the Dubs in their matchups against Milwaukee (15 points, seven rebounds), Chicago (25 points, 10-of-12 FG), and Minnesota on Sunday night.
Speaking about Jonathan Kuminga's overall performance during the Warriors' four-game schedule away from home, Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said:
"It was a great trip for him. It didn't start out very well in Memphis. He didn't play particularly well in his G-league performance, but I thought he really responded well coming off of that game and competed really hard in Milwaukee and in Chicago and in light of things tonight, too. [There are] a lot of things he has to learn, can only be learned through experience."
Kerr added:
"So mistakes that he makes are totally expected because it's impossible to know everything you need to know about the NBA when you arrive at 19. So, every minute is an important minute for JK [Jonathan Kuminga]. He's made big strides here in recent weeks and we'll continue to push him and I know he'll continue to work."
Kuminga and the Golden State Warriors will now return to the comfort of their Chase Center home floor, where they will play the next seven games of their 2021-22 campaign.
