Kuminga 25-piece: what they said
Kuminga 25-piece: what they said
[free article, videos coming soon]
Just got done transcribing all the interviews from last night, so I thought I would share all the Jonathan Kuminga postgame talk. I will compile videos on him later and will post them at the bottom. This is an entirely free article. I’ll have other topics to post as well, maybe put the remaining transcriptions probably behind a paywall, we’ll see. The videos that I post on YouTube are, of course, free for the public (check our YT channel).
BILLY DONOVAN:
Part of wider answer to describing the game: “…Poole and Kuminga…we had a hard time matching up with those guys.”
STEVE KERR:
JK best game? “Oh yeah for sure. He’s had some good games. Christmas night was great but this was his best overall game. He showed the whole package…explosive athlete…”
Searching for breakthrough moment from JK so he can become nightly regular? “We’re in the early stages of his develop and we’re just trying to help him through that process…so much to absorb and so much that you don’t know and we’re just trying to help him learn all that and not overwhelm him but also push him and prod him when we don’t feel he’s pushing himself. It’s a little bit of a delicate balance but we’re trying to make it all make sense with Santa Cruz, here, off-day 3on3, work in the weight room, extra shots, he’s learning what this is all about. He’s making strides and a night like this validates that.”
JK factor this season? “I don’t think there’s any doubt…progress isn’t linear as a young player…main thing you’re trying to get across is the process. Steph said something last night that I said was so important…I don’t focus on results, I focus on the process…for JK we’re trying to teach him about the process and how important every single day is…he’s got these incredible mentors…all really trying to help him out…”
What allowed him to be successful: “The only thing that we’ve really been emphasizing is running the floor hard, using his gifts…when I was Phoenix as GM we had Shawn Marion who was one of the best athletes in the league. Every night he would just run the floor hard. He wasn’t the greatest three point shooter, he wasn’t the greatest passer, he wasn’t the greatest ball handler but he was an all star because he played hard. By running the floor all kinda of good stuff would happen…his gifts are so unique athletically. They jump out even in an NBA game…taking advantage of those gifts now allows him to bold a foundation…hardest I’ve seen him run the floor on consecutive nights.” 🚨
JK passing: “It’s been in there. I remember watching Team Ignite…that was the thing I was most impressed with…at that size you start to get a good feel for the game and draw two…over the top of the defense and find people, that’s powerful…”
KUMINGA HIMSELF:
Liked most from game: “Being alert on defense. Playing as hard as I can…”
Kerr telling you to run the floor, how much in career: “It’s my first time in my career to think about how much to run. I spoke to Coach, we sat down, watched a couple film (clips) and running will help me to get the easy bucket.”
See film where you didn’t run? “Yeah…I can do better than that. I’m still learning and just trying to correct every mistake I have on the floor.”
Going to SCW and back, restless to contribute now? “It’s a lot of learning lessons, but I feel like I’m getting better. It’s a good thing that I’m going back there getting more comfortable coming out here, get a couple minutes that I get and help the team win.”
Passing, 3 assists: “That’s been my biggest thing. I always try to be an all-around player, always trying to involve everybody in the game because you’re never gonna play by yourself. You got four other people on the floor that’s playing with you, that help you do other things. So that’s been something that I’ve had since a minute ago, I’m just trying to show what I got and I’m not gonna show all of it because I’m still a rookie, I’m still learning, but in time it’s gonna come.”
How much fun was it with minutes? “It felt good especially coming off a loss last night to a win today. That felt a lot of good. It’s a good thing. Everybody’s happy. We just gotta lock in and go finish the job and go back home.”
Different than playing in a tight game? “I spoke to Coach every time, especially as a rookie, on a good team like our team you never know when you’re gonna play, so every time you get on the floor, just give all you got. Even when you’re winning or you’re losing, you never know when you’re the one who’s gonna come in and help the guys win or something, but you gotta do something, you gotta give it all you got and help the team win.”
Any one particular mentor, biggest influence: “Everybody on the team. From Moody to Andre, everybody does. Because they’re my teammates. They wanna see me happy. They wanna see my growth. They wanna see my make it, so whoever sees something going on or just got something to tell me that’s gonna help me in the future or the present, they always come up to me and tell me. So pretty much everybody’s been a big influence.
Being in the arena where Kerr won championships with Jordan: “It is special to me because I watch a lot of Michael Jordan highlights. Actually it’s my first time playing in this gym so it really means a lot. Early on in the day I asked Coach how many rings they won over here, if this was the same arena they played in. So it just means a lot for me to come back here and play and do good and help the team win.”
JORDAN POOLE:
JK: “Today he was patient…he took his time, he took the shots that he normally takes. He was dominant, 25 points in 25 minutes. Proud of him…make sure that he continues to keep going like this…going in the right trajectory and we’re gonna lead him in the right way.”
JK’s dunks: “(Chuckles)…I normally ask him one out of ten, ten being like 100% perfect jump, one being not good jump at all, on some of his dunks, how does he feel and all of his dunks he said he hasn’t been close to a ten. So, keep your eyes out. As soon as he says he got a ten I’ma tell y’all.” 🚨
JK effortless, looks different? “Yeah it is. I’m looking at it just how you are. Extremely athletic, physically gifted. He’s just a physical specimen. I think Draymond said it best. He just has some things that a lot of us don’t have. Being able to witness that and see it at such a young age, that’s definitely remarkable. Credit to him, for sure.”
Can JK help you now? “We have a lot of vets and he’s in a really good situation where he’s able to learn very quickly and he’s getting the right knowledge and he’s getting the right teaching. Like I said, we’re just trying to bring him along as best we can. We obviously know he’s in a unique situation, so day by day. Day by day, for sure.”
JK sprinting the floor: “It’s another threat. Same thing with Wiggs, those guys who are extremely athletic, extremely fast, who very rarely get contested at the rim. We try to get those guys easy buckets and being able to get JK a couple easy ones in transition, whether it’s off a roll, whether it’s off of a backdoor cut, paid off tonight.”
STEPHEN CURRY:
JK grace, way he moves: “Yeah he’s explosive and he has a knack to get wherever he wants to on the floor. When he’s decisive, he is tough. Not a lot guys can stay in front of him and he’s finding different ways to finish, being confident when he shoots the ball when he has an open shot. He made some really good passes as well that were decisive. One was in transition to me and another pass on a drive, kick into the corner. So those are the balances that he has to figure out when he gets more minutes to keep attacking the rim and putting pressure on the paint. If he has room to finish, go after it, if he has an open shot, shoot it and if not, find the open guy. Because eventually he’ll start to see a little bit more attention.”
Inverted play call setting screen for him: “A lot of that is figuring out how teams are gonna guard me and if you’re gonna react to the ball or stay with me. I don’t wanna overdo it but I always enjoy setting good screens because you know if teams are gonna tell a guy that’s matched up with me not to leave me ever, then that’s gonna create open looks and you have a guy like him who can turn a corner. Wiggs has done it a couple times too, where he turned the corner. And they’re at the rim in two dribbles. It’s hard to guard. Me and Wiggs got one where I set one for him and he kicked it back to me for a three in the third quarter. Just good options to have, to switch it up a little bit to have a different look if I’m gonna get a lot of attention.”
JK contribution this season? “That’ll show itself. It’s kinda hard to predict but it’s also on him to maintain focus on what’s gonna make him better, whether he’s playing 25 minutes, whether he’s in the G League, whether he’s coming in for spot minutes. That effort that he showed tonight was amazing. He needs to do that every time he has an opportunity to play because every rep he gets is important for his development, for his confidence, developing his skill set. His game is interesting because you can kinda throw him out there with pretty much any lineup, for the most part…it’s just effort and intensity at the end of the day for him because he is so athletic. He has unbelievable upside, but what he does well, it comes and it shines when he plays hard.”
Aspect of JK that’s most impressive: “Just his athletic ability to get to where he wants on the floor. He’s got a little finesse game he can shoot the floater, he got one off the glass, idk if that was on purpose or not. For him being so young. His game can look different four or five years from now. It’s just right now being able to pick and choose his spots where he’s under control and using that athleticism, that’s the development right now.”
Wiseman JK Moody upside extend your career? “Yeah, I mean, it comes up. It’s great to have options and it’s great to have an understanding that you have some pretty young, talented guys that aren’t really getting minutes right now consistently but have shown that they can be impactful, to have pretty high upside. Idk how to answer that other than it’s great to see and to have nights like tonight where they just gain confidence and show what they’re about. There’s gonna be learning curves and there’s gonna be ups and downs and who knows what next year, two years, three years looks like but I know the organization is trying to do a good job of balancing all of that. Us as players, it never really comes up that much right now.”
[Again, videos of the above will be added here later, so check back for that.]
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