Before Jonathan Kuminga could make his way through a line of handshakes and daps from his Warriors teammates and coaches, he was stopped in his tracks by Draymond Green. A hug turned to foreheads meeting each other and a smile radiating from the elder statesmen.
Proud and prideful. Both emotions were seen and felt Saturday night as Green and Kuminga completed their personal handshake following the Warriors’ 127-121 overtime win over the Houston Rockets on the road.
Dray and JK embrace near the end of OT 💙 pic.twitter.com/yftnFCCAC7
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) November 3, 2024
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Green had fouled out with 8.1 seconds remaining after an egregious inbounds pass leading to a Warriors turnover with them leading by two points. His foul led to two Rockets free throws, which tied the game. Overtime, however, belonged to Kuminga.
“They brought energy, they brought force, they got us on our heels,” Green told reporters after the win while speaking on the Rockets’ comeback attempt. “And then Jonathan Kuminga showed why he is Jonathan Kuminga.”
The Warriors led by 18 points after the first quarter at the Toyota Center. Their lead grew all the way to 31 points during the second quarter and was at 28 points by halftime. Kuminga was a major reason why.
Coming off the bench for the third consecutive game as Steph Curry nurses a sprained left ankle, Kuminga in 11 minutes scored 14 efficient points off the bench in the first half. He was 4-of-7 shooting, sank two of his three 3-point attempts and, equally as important, got to the free-throw line three times where he went 4 of 6.
Golden State Warriors
But in the second half, Kuminga, like the rest of the Warriors, struggled. In 10-and-a-half minutes, he only scored three points. Kuminga didn’t make either of his two shot attempts. What he did do, however, was continue getting to the free-throw line.
Kuminga went 3 of 4 from the charity stripe in the second half and was 7 of 10 there overall. The rest of his Warriors teammates were 25 of 40. His 23 points were on 7-of-12 shooting, plus his seven made free throws.
As Green rattled off names like Tari Eason, Jabari Smith and Amen Thompson in turning the tides for the Rockets, it became evident how important Kuminga is for the Warriors to withstand wins like Saturday night.
“He’s very important. No. 1, he can match the athleticism of all those guys,” Green said. “... When you’re facing guys like that, you need a JK, because not only can he get his own, which he can, he showed that down the stretch where every time we needed a bucket he gave him the ball and he went and got it, but from an athletic standpoint, he’s just as athletic – if not more.
“To match that physicality and athleticism was huge.”
When backs were against the wall and it looked like all momentum had shifted to the Rockets, Warriors coach Steve Kerr started Kuminga in overtime for Buddy Hield, who scored a team-high 27 points. The plan was to get stops with a defensive-minded lineup. The result was the Warriors outscoring the Rockets 8-2 with Houston going 1 of 12 from the field.
Kuminga himself scored six of the Warriors’ eight points in overtime, and grabbed two of his six rebounds. He never settled. The 22-year-old possessed with athleticism that can’t be replicated by our deepest prayers took over by letting his natural skills be his calling card.
JK starts OT on a good note 🙌 pic.twitter.com/gx0ehxA91I
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) November 3, 2024
A spinning fadeaway from eight feet out, a layup in transition and a lefty finish over Smith at the basket for the final two points of the night. Everything clicked for Kuminga. How he did so, and his answers after the win, should make the entire organization incredibly happy.
“Ain’t nobody going to stop me where I want to go,” Kuminga said. “It’s not going to happen every time, but the mindset of getting anybody to do what I want them to do. I’m more comfortable getting to the rim than doing different things.
“Why settle when I can get to the rim? That’s the mentality.”
Growth mindset. It’s what Kerr and all the Warriors want out of Kuminga. He didn’t play the final eight seconds of regulation when the Warriors could have used someone to put their head down and get to the basket for two points, or a chance of making at least one free throw. Kerr, Curry and Green all encouraged Kuminga when he admitted to be down on the bench, letting him know how much he was about to be needed for them to win.
Saturday night marked the third straight game where Kuminga came off the bench, which coincided with his three best games of the 2024-25 NBA season. Kerr said he “couldn’t be more proud” of Kuminga’s professionalism he has displayed and the force he used when his number was called. In the last three games, Kuminga has played his most minutes of the season while averaging 18.7 points on 51.4-percent shooting.
Steve Kerr "couldn't be more proud" of Jonathan Kuminga after another clutch showing off the bench pic.twitter.com/XH0cHpFn1O
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) November 3, 2024
His six rebounds in Houston were a season high, as was Kuminga’s plus/minus of plus-18 after being a plus-4 and a plus-8 in the Warriors’ previous two wins with him coming off the bench.
“I don’t want him to love coming off the bench,” Green said. “He believes he’s a superstar. I believe he can be a superstar. So as long as you believe, you shouldn’t be OK with coming off the bench, but how you respond is important. You can respond with sulking or you can just go do what it is that can help the team win and be great, and that’s what he’s doing.
“Not only should we talk about his play, but we should talk about his maturity, because last year he wouldn’t have handled that well. Another year of growth and maturity, he’s taken it in stride and he’s had his three best games yet of the season. … Credit his maturity and how he’s handling this, as well as his play. I think the maturity is equally, if not more, important.”
"Last year, he wouldn't have handled that well."
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) November 3, 2024
Draymond Green praises Jonathan Kuminga's maturity and ability to make an impact off the bench pic.twitter.com/IyrRCy8NO6
Stacking days and racking up wins likely will have a more mature Kuminga back in the starting lineup soon enough. It for sure will have him on the court when it matters most, and it certainly will have him counting dollar figures this next offseason.