There’s no denying that Golden State Warriors stud Jonathan Kuminga is one of the fastest-rising young stars in the league today. In fact, he is considered to be the heir-apparent to Stephen Curry as the face of the Warriors franchise once the greatest shooter of all time calls it a career.
For his part, however, it’s a different superstar on another team that Kuminga looks up to and tries to model his game toward.
Golden State Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga Compares Himself to Giannis Antetokounmpo
In a recent interview, Kuminga opened up about seeing a bit of his game in that of Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. In fact, the 21-year-old admitted that he’s actively been trying to emulate the style of play of the former back-to-back MVP:
“I see a similarity, most of the time when I get closer to the rim,” Kuminga said, via Andy Lindquist of NBC Sports. “Sometimes even if it’s a bigger guy in the paint, I finish over them, and Giannis is the best at doing it no matter who’s in front of him, he’s going to find his way to get there.
“And I’m not as big as Giannis but obviously I look, I watch certain things that he does when he gets to the rim. And I came in and just practice, watch film, looking at things that he does well, and just try it [myself].”
Giannis’ utter dominance stems mostly from his sheer size and strength. However, it is a known fact that the eight-time All-Star has and continues to put in a lot of work to become the elite player he is today. With this kind of work ethic combined with his innate talent, the sky could be the limit for Kuminga as well.
In fact, Kuminga is already taking everything in like a sponge at this early point in his career. The former No. 7 overall pick reflected on a recent interaction with Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown — one that fueled Kuminga to strive even more for greatness:
“It’s just something [attacking the rim] I always have in my head,” Kuminga said of his fearless mindset in attacking the rim.
“And it’s crazy we just played Boston and at the end of the game I had a talk with Jaylen Brown…And he said ‘Don’t let anybody tell you can’t do anything,’ and while I had that in my mindset, just seeing how his career went to where he’s at right now, there were a lot of people who told him he couldn’t do certain things…and that’s how I look at it, I can do so much that I don’t even think I can do.”
This young man seems to have a good head on his shoulders. He’s also surrounded by great players within a first-class organization. He’s on the right path at the moment. It’s now all about seizing the opportunity for Kuminga.
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