Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga must have heard his name thrown in trade rumors a lot of late, especially involving Utah Jazz big man Lauri Markkanen. The sweet-shooting Markkanen is being linked to the Warriors, with Kuminga rumored as a part of a potential package the Dubs can send to Utah.
It is within that context that Dan Favale of Bleacher Report finds Kuminga as an overrated NBA name.
I’m just at the point where I think he might be one of the most overrated players in the NBA. And I don’t mean that as an insult. But we’re talking about him as if he almost has this Mikal Bridges-type of non-star value. I see the vision with him. But as of right now, I don’t trust the jumper. I don’t trust his ability to generate his own shot unless he’s in space. And the defense is kind of just all over the place.
Kuminga took a big step in the 2023-24 NBA season, where he averaged 16.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game — all career-highs. Before that, he averaged just 9.6 points, 3.4 assists, and 1.4 assists in his first two seasons in the league.
Selected seventh overall by the Warriors in the first round of the 2021 NBA Draft, Kuminga still has a ways to go in order to be viewed in the same spectrum as Markkanen
“So I see the vision, and that rim pressure is great. And I don’t know how much of this is on the Warriors. I’ve just reached a point where part of me understands why they’d want to keep him out of this [Markkanen] deal. But the other part of me is just, like, if it’s Jonathan Kuminga or Lauri Markkanen, it’s not really a choice,” added Favale.
Kuminga will be a restricted free agent by the end of the 2024-25 season.
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