During his time with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Julius Randle certainly had his moments. He helped the Wolves win some big games, but he also made some mistakes. Mistakes that hurt Minnesota. After trading him away to the Brooklyn Nets this summer, the Wolves went out and signed Jonathan Kuminga in free agency. Now, they have to be careful that Kuminga doesn’t fall into some of the same traps that Randle did.
Randle and Kuminga are certainly not the same type of player. Randle was primarily a post guy who could step out and shoot threes while also playmaking a bit. Kuminga is more of a pure slasher who likes to drive but also get out in transition. But there are certainly some concerning similarities in their game.
Throughout the course of his NBA career, Randle has had the tendency to do a bit too much. Kuminga can fall into that trap at times. Kuminga has felt like he should have the ball more than he has, and Randle was a pretty ball-dominant guy even when he maybe shouldn’t have been. Turnovers, mental mistakes, etc. Minnesota better hope Kuminga doesn’t fall into those same traps that Randle fell into.
Jonathan Kuminga cannot fall into the Julius Randle trap
Kuminga is still super young. Yet he’s already on the third NBA team of his career. He and the Golden State Warriors didn’t outlast what was inevitably a long-winded, very public divorce.
Then, after getting traded to the Atlanta Hawks at the deadline this past season, he only lasted half a season. Atlanta declined his team option this summer, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Then, there’s Randle. Even when he was at his best, competing for teams like the New York Knicks and Wolves and helping them make deep playoff runs, there were still questions.
Possessions during which Randle would hog the ball a bit too much. Mental mistakes that seemed completely avoidable. Turnovers that everyone could see coming from a mile away.
Those are the types of mistakes that it seems as though Kuminga could run into if he doesn’t embrace his role as a role player in Minnesota. And that would be a mess for the Wolves.
Randle was shipped to the Nets this summer for a reason. He played well in Minnesota, but ultimately, they found him expendable. The Wolves do not want Kuminga to become Randle 2.0.
They need Kuminga to really avoid some of those less-than-ideal tendencies that hurt Randle’s value at times.
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