One of the biggest issues with the Julius Randle-Minnesota Timberwolves era was the lack of floor spacing with him and Rudy Gobert. This made opposing teams selling out on Anthony Edwards easy and more generally made the Wolves' offense clunky. By trading Randle and bringing in LaMelo Ball, the Timberwolves had solved this problem. Yet, they were left with a glaring hole at the power forward position, which they recently filled by signing Jonathan Kuminga.
Look, I think signing Kuminga was the right move. He was the highest-upside player available at the position. Moreover, I firmly believe that the Timberwolves are an ideal spot for Kuminga to shift toward a complementary role, and we will see a better version of him than in Golden State or Atlanta. Still, acting like Kuminga is a risk-free player is plainly false. One of the biggest concerns is his lack of floor spacing alongside.
For his career, Kuminga has shot just 33.2 percent from beyond the arc, and last season he shot a measly 30.9 percent on catch-and-shoot 3-pointers. As such, if you are having flashbacks to the Randle-Gobert frontcourt, I don't blame you.
While I acknowledge that there's a path for this to backfire, there are some distinctions that make me believe things won't be as problematic as the Randle-Gobert frontcourt.
Why Jonathan Kuminga's lack of shooting isn't that big of a concern
Firstly, Ball will create open shots around the rim for Kuminga. Maybe, just maybe, Kuminga can improve as a shooter with Ball feeding him open shots. Conversely, the Timberwolves' lack of playmaking made the Randle experience worse.
And while Kuminga can be a ball-stopper at times, he could thrive in a play-finishing role with Ball feeding him open looks.
In general, LaMelo's elite blend of playmaking and scoring should give the Timberwolves a high enough floor that these spacing concerns aren't all that severe. Last season, the Charlotte Hornets had a top-five offense, including the best offense during the 2026 portion of the season with Miles Bridges (a similarly shaky shooter) and a non-spacing big man, Moussa Diabate.
Another factor is that Kuminga will make just $6 million this upcoming season. Randle, on the other hand, was thrust into a co-star role, and Chris Finch felt like he needed to close games with him. Should he have closed more games with Naz Reid? Sure, but benching a former All-Star late in games is different than benching an unproven young player.
To this end, if Kuminga's lack of shooting becomes problematic, it will be easier for Finch to close with different lineups.
Thankfully, the Timberwolves have dependable shooters with Ball, Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, and Ayo Dosunmu. Ball and Ant are two of the best volume shooters in the league. McDaniels and Ayo don't shoot at a high volume, but they both netted more than 40 percent of their 3-pointers last season. If and when Donte DiVincenzo returns, their surrounding shooting will reach another level. Minnesota has some optionality if Kuminga is having an off-night.
So while it's valid to raise concerns about Kuminga's fit as a floor spacer, I would hold off on panicking, and the Timberwolves' roster has certainly improved this offseason.
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