GROWING PAINS
Kuminga shows flashes, faults in second Summer League game
LAS VEGAS » For all the promise and excitement offered by Jonathan Kuminga’s NBA debut last week in Sacramento, Monday night’s game offered a glimpse at the ups-and-downs ahead in his rookie season.
Kuminga needed 16 shots to score 16 points, went 0-for-4 from 3-point range and had six rebounds in his 29 minutes. Perhaps most importantly, he kept his turnovers low — only one compared to the six possessions he lost in his first Summer League game — as the Warriors fell to the Orlando Magic, 91-89, in overtime Monday night at the Thomas & Mack Center in the first game of their Las Vegas slate.
After a slow start in which he looked indecisive and missed four of his first five shots, Kuminga’s strongest moments came in the second quarter. In those 6 ½ minutes, he went 4-for-5, missing only a 3-pointer, and recorded all three of his steals for the game. In the final minute, he jumped a passing lane, took the ball in transition and finished with
a two-handed dunk.
“I’m encouraging him to keep slashing,” Warriors Summer League coach Kris Weems said, “and then you saw him make some nice passes.”
But down the stretch with an opportunity to win the game, Kuminga did well to get to the line but missed three of his four free throws. After Magic rookie Jalen Suggs blocked Moses Moody’s potential game-winning layup with the score tied at 83, the game went to overtime.
Both Kuminga and Gary Payton II missed layups to start the 2-minute extra period that Weems thought could have given them the momentum they needed to win.
“I wish we would have made those layups,” Weems said. “It’s one thing to get there and it’s another thing to finish.”
With Warriors assistants Ron Adams and Luke Loucks in the stands, Kuminga was a plus-15. Fellow rookie Moody finished with 15 points on 6-for-13 shooting (2-for-5 from 3-point range), four rebounds and two assists in 26 minutes.
Payton had 11 points on 5 for 9 shooting and eight rebounds.
Kyle Guy tallied 15 points in his Warriors Summer League debut on 4-for-10 shooting (3-for-7 from 3-point range), three assists and two turnovers in 17 minutes.
The biggest takeaway from these Summer League games will be how close the two lottery picks are to contributing and what they need to work on. Weems said Moody needs to be more physical on defense and adjust to the speed of the game.
“That’s what the Summer League is about, preparing to be who you need to be when the season starts,” Moody said.
For Kuminga, it comes down to his focus and discipline.
“He’s so versatile and he’s so strong as an 18-yearold,” Weems said. “And, at the same time, he needs to learn our coverages, he needs to play defense every time down the floor, he can’t take plays off. But we’ll help him with that. That’s part of his development as a young player.”
With three more Summer League games, the Warriors will continue to give Kuminga and Moody a heavy dose of minutes and the space to grow. Now is the time for that because, once the real games begin, Golden State can’t afford those wild rookie ebbs and flows.