We've seen the good, the bad, and the ugly so far this preseason, with the ugly being the Minnesota Timberwolves' most recent showing against the Detroit Pistons. The offense couldn't get going for just about the entire game, and the stars having bad games was a big part of that.
Anthony Edwards scored 20 points, but with extremely poor efficiency. He shot 5-for-15 from the field and including shooting 1-for-9 from 3-point land. LaMelo Ball had only three points on 1-for-5 shooting, as it seemed like he wasn't as aggressive as he probably should have been. Jaden McDaniels started the game hot, but flamed out after the first quarter, finishing with 12 points.
The bright spot, however, is that this was far and away the best Jonathan Kuminga has looked in a Wolves uniform. He provided offense when nobody else was able to, and that's something the Wolves will need at times this season. Kuminga scored 16 points and shot 5-for-6 from the field.
Jonathan Kuminga is showing his importance in different ways
When Kuminga signed with Minnesota, it was noted that he would help fill the starting power forward void that was left with Julius Randle and Naz Reid now elsewhere. He was also expected to use his athleticism to provide another versatile defender next to McDaniels and assist Rudy Gobert on the boards.
The issue with Kuminga throughout his career is that he wants too many shots, that he views himself as a 15-20 shots-per-night player, and that's simply not realistic for what winning teams need. However, there are times, like last night, when Kuminga taking a higher volume of shots is extremely necessary and important for the Wolves' offense to stay afloat.
He was second on the team in scoring with 16 points, but what stood out was the efficiency. On a night when the team shot abysmal 38/32/84 splits, Kuminga shot 5-for-6 from the field, 2-for-3 from downtown, and 4-for-5 from the line. If he's going to be this efficient going forward, feeding him when the starters don't have it going should absolutely be on the table going forward.
Considering the preseason games prior, Kuminga looked slightly underwhelming on the offensive end; this was an extremely encouraging sign for the team. His defense was also spot on. He has the positional size and athleticism to guard guys like superstar point guard Cade Cunningham, while also at times being big enough to hold his own against All-Star big Jalen Duren.
Clearly, Kuminga can uplift the Timberwolves on both ends of the court, despite his skill set being divisive.
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