Eight games into the Jonathan Kuminga-Minnesota Timberwolves era, things have gone really well. He's fully embracing a complementary role as an athletic play-finisher, sturdy defender, connective playmaker, and rebounder. Kuminga has also been a dependable spot-up shooter, netting 44.1 percent of his 3-point attempts.
Simply put, he's answered a lot of the questions people had about his fit. And for a player on a $6 million contract, the Wolves are getting a ton of value out of Kuminga.
However, there's still room for improvement for Kuminga, particularly from an offensive consistency standpoint. Kuminga's four games since Anthony Edwards' injury highlight some of these consistency issues. Against the Golden State Warriors, he scored 20 points on 7-for-15 shooting, followed by a five-point 2-for-6 outing against the Los Angeles Clippers; he rose to the occasion against the San Antonio Spurs, scoring 19 points on 8-for-19 shooting; but against the Milwaukee Bucks, he scored eight points on 3-for-8 shooting.
Coincidentally, Kuminga's poor games have resulted in wins. Still, with Edwards sidelined for the time being, Kuminga's importance to the Wolves' offense has increased, and it would be ideal if he could establish more of a rhythm. The Wolves need more reliable scoring threats without Ant. Kuminga has the talent to fill this void, but hasn't been able to consistently do so.
Jonathan Kuminga improving his efficiency around the rim will be key
Again, Kuminga has been awesome in his role and shouldn't be averaging 20 field goals a game or more. If Kuminga could simply produce a bit more consistently and efficiently, though, that would be a nice boost to the Timberwolves' offense, especially as they navigate life without Edwards.
One somewhat peculiar issue for Kuminga has been finishing around the rim. Kuminga is an athletic monster who can destroy mismatches. Despite Kuminga's early career getting off to a rocky start, his finishing was always a bright spot of his offensive game. Relevantly, Kuminga has shot 70 percent or higher at the rim in three seasons.
Unfortunately, this season Kuminga is shooting just 51.9 percent at the rim so far. There's likely to be positive regression toward the mean with this number. In any event, Kuminga's poor rim efficiency has been a major part of his offensive inconsistencies.
Regaining a little bit more balance and control on his drives would be helpful for Kuminga. Also, from a team perspective, he could be used as a roll man more, given his athletic gifts and already solid chemistry with LaMelo Ball. On a positive note, I've been impressed with Kuminga's cutting and general off-ball improvement.
Considering all of the possible negative outcomes for Kuminga's Timberwolves tenure, his inconsistency on offense and around the rim isn't too much of a concern. Thankfully, Kuminga's decision-making has been good, so has his spot-up shooting, and defense.
All in all, Kuminga has been a great fit with the Timberwolves, and if he can establish a bit more offensive consistency, especially around the rim, then he'll be even more impactful.
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