Throughout his career, many people have questioned Jonathan Kuminga's ability to impact winning basketball. He frequently received DNPs with the Golden State Warriors.
When the Minnesota Timberwolves signed Kuminga to be their starting power forward on a team with championship aspirations, there were some doubts about how impactful he would be in this role. Personally, I was always cautiously optimistic about Kuminga's fit with the team.
In any event, Kuminga has been absolutely fantastic in this complementary role, and now the questions about his ability to impact winning look absolutely silly.
Jonathan Kuminga is making an impressive all-around impact
To me, Kuminga's impact starts with his stellar defense. He has been fantastic against opposing forwards, using his physicality and length to perfection. So far, Kuminga is holding opposing players to 38 percent shooting from the field. Having someone who can guard physical forwards is one of the main reasons that the Wolves signed Kuminga, and he's excelled in this role.
Kuminga has also done a fantastic job of crashing the glass, averaging 5.7 rebounds per game. Moreover, Kuminga's activity as a defensive playmaker has been exceptional. According to Databallr, Kuminga ranks in the 91st percentile for blocks per 100 possessions, the 75th percentile for deflections per 100 possessions, and the 74th percentile for steals per 100 possessions. He has been super attentive off the ball; his rotations have been crisp, and he has been really great at anticipating plays.
None of this stuff is super glamorous work, but Kuminga's willingness to embrace the boring is exactly what the Wolves need from him, and it disproves the idea that he can't play winning basketball.
Offensively, Kuminga hasn't been perfect. Specifically, you'd like to see more efficiency from inside the arc. Regardless, his spot-up shooting has been super accurate, as he's netted 46.3 percent from beyond the arc. Perhaps more importantly, the process has been great even if the results are mixed inside the arc.
Kuminga's poor shot selection and decision-making were two of the biggest reasons why his doubters argued that he couldn't contribute to winning. Sure, you could cherry-pick a few bad shots, but for the most part, Kuminga's shots have come within the flow of the offense, and he hasn't taken ill-advised shots. Kuminga's off-ball movement and screening have also been really good.
In my view, playmaking has been one of the more surprising aspects of Kuminga's impact. Look, he hasn't been a primary initiator or anything, but he's been a solid connective playmaker who has consistently made the right reads. It's certainly notable that Kuminga has averaged a career-best 2.9 assists and a career-low 0.9 turnovers. This is yet another area in which Kuminga has made a positive impact and shed narratives about his game.
On a team with Anthony Edwards (when healthy), LaMelo Ball, and Jaden McDaniels, a complementary forward is exactly what the Wolves need Kuminga to be, and he's excelled in this role.
Kuminga was the hero of the Timberwolves' win over the Rockets
While Kuminga has generally been super steady, Wednesday's win over the Houston Rockets was his best game yet. Kuminga notched 16 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. The highlight of this game was Kuminga's clutch-time play. He scored eight of his 16 points in the clutch, including two big 3-pointers. In the last two minutes, Kuminga had a putback, a clutch steal against Kevin Durant, and a game-sealing 3-pointer.
Beyond his clutch-time heroics, Kuminga was awesome all night. Whether it was making big stops on defense, forcing turnovers, crashing the glass, making the extra pass, or knocking down open shots, Kuminga provided all the skills the Wolves needed. And when it mattered the most, he helped the team secure a win with his two-way brilliance.
Without a doubt, Kuminga is causing his doubters to eat crow and proving that he can be a key cog of a winning team.
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