Can Jonathan Kuminga buy into a complementary role? That question was asked countless times after he signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves in late August. Simply put, on a team with Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball, Kuminga can't be a focal point of the offense. Fortunately, the Timberwolves' first game indicates he'll have no problem embracing this role.
The Wolves took down the Miami Heat 131-106 on opening night. Kuminga might not have been the highlight of the night—after all, Anthony Edwards scored 45 points, and the Wolves hit 21 3-pointers. Still, Kuminga was super impactful in his role—he recorded 12 points, three assists, four steals, and a block, while shooting 5-for-10 from the field and 2-for-4 from beyond the arc. While Giannis Antetokounmpo racked up 35 points, Kuminga was super physical against him, and without him, the Wolves would have been hopeless against Giannis. Plus, his activity as a defensive playmaker was impressive.
After the game, Kuminga talked about his role and how he's ready to do whatever it takes to help the team win. This, paired with the game he had on Wednesday, is incredibly encouraging.
"I think it's pretty much just do everything, and whatever comes my way, that's what I got to do," Kuminga said. "If it's only passing the ball or pushing, getting in the paint and making plays. I don't have a specific role, I could come here and tell you this is my role. But my role is just to do everything that matters on the floor. Even if it's the little things that nobody is going to see, that is going to help my teammates, and I win. I think that's my role."
Jonathan Kuminga's role versatility is a weapon for the Timberwolves
To Kuminga's point, his role will be pretty fluid throughout the season. Yes, every night they'll need him to defend with physicality and play with energy. Nevertheless, he'll likely take on a variety of matchups throughout the season.
On Wednesday, the Wolves needed him to guard Giannis. Obviously, guarding the two-time MVP is no easy task, particularly given his height and weight advantage over Kuminga. But Kuminga gave Giannis everything he had with his physicality. It was an impressive showing against a difficult matchup.
Depending on the matchup, guarding athletic bigs will be a theme throughout the season. Guarding traditional forwards is where Kuminga is at his best, and this will surely be part of his role. All the same, Kuminga is nimble enough to defend opposing guards, something we'll see against perimeter-centric teams. Yet another role for Kuminga could be roaming off non-shooters as a defensive playmaker and serving as a secondary rim protector. His five stocks on Wednesday bode well for his projection in this role.
Kuminga's defensive versatility is a clear weapon for this team, and it will help him thrive in this complementary role. Furthermore, it will help the Timberwolves maintain their elite defensive success from the past four seasons.
Offensively, Kuminga's role will also change on a nightly basis. The common theme will be making good decisions as a scorer and playmaker, which he did on Wednesday. Regardless, how he scores will depend on what the defense is giving him.
The Heat weren't respecting his jump shot. Thankfully, Kuminga made them pay by hitting some open 3-pointers. Moreover, as they sagged off on him, Kuminga cut to the basket at times. He also showed his ability to pressure the rim in transition and in the half-court. Kuminga did so all within the flow of the offense and didn't hijack things with poor shot selection (which has been a problem for him).
He also set some nice screens and made good reads as a passer.
I've long talked about how Kuminga needs to be an athletic play-finisher, not a shot creator for this pairing to work. That's what we mostly saw on Wednesday, and generally, this will be his role.
However, the Wolves will need his shot creation in certain games. If the stars have an off night or Kuminga has a favorable matchup to attack, then his shot creation will be needed. On Wednesday, the Heat hid Klay Thompson on Jaden McDaniels, and McDaniels punished him by scoring 17 points. What if a team hides their weak link on Kuminga, though? Then by all means, he should (and will) go to work.
The point is that Kuminga will wear several different hats for the Wolves this year depending on the game, and he's up for the task. Having Kuminga embrace this complementary role will help the Timberwolves maximize their talent and reach their ceiling.
Overreacting to one game is dangerous. Regardless, since joining the Wolves, Kuminga has said all of the right things about his role; he continued to do so after Wednesday's game, but his actual play against the Heat shows he's ready to play whatever role the Timberwolves need him to, and that's a fantastic sign.
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