Since Jonathan Kuminga signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves, I've bought into his fit as a complementary player. His ever-so-controversial agent, Aaron Turner, saying that offense was secondary to Kuminga's decision, offered some promise to this idea. But recently on the Kevin O'Connor Show, Turner discussed how the Timberwolves' pitch was for Kuminga "to be him."
"Ant was a massive part of this whole thing because he said, ‘Listen, we’re gonna guard. Everybody’s going to guard.” Offensively, one of the biggest things Ant and Chris Finch said to him: ‘This whole thing of JK is a role player’ and all this stuff that’s been talked about, that was not the pitch. The pitch was, ‘Hey JK, we want you to come here and be the guy that we had to play against in the playoffs. Like, we want that dude. We're not asking you to go be something else. We’re asking you to be yourself. Now, are we going to have to all sacrifice and blend together our games? For sure," Turner said.
I think there's some real nuance in this conversation. The Golden State Warriors' system wasn't a good fit for Kuminga, since it constantly forced him to make quick reads. From this standpoint, the Timberwolves should want Kuminga to "be him."
On the other hand, they shouldn't want him to be the isolation-heavy shot chucker he's been for much of his career.
The Timberwolves should want Jonathan Kuminga to be a complementary player
Kuminga is a talented player who can put up big numbers. His aforementioned playoff series against the Timberwolves is proof of this, as he averaged 20.8 points per game.
However, that's a small sample size, and he's largely an inefficient self-creator. Notably, last season Kuminga ranked in the 24th percentile for one-on-one shot-making efficiency per B-Ball Index. The Wolves have two established stars in Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball. Even Jaden McDaniels and Ayo Dosunmu are more reliable shot creators than Kuminga.
Simply put, there's no room for Kuminga to have significant shot creation duties, and the Timberwolves should be looking for him to buy into a play-finisher role.
If sacrificing is a big theme, Kuminga should adapt to a play-finisher role. He is a great athlete who thrives in transition, can cut off the ball, and is a solid roller. Thus, he'd excel in a role similar to Aaron Gordon or Miles Bridges. Kuminga is his own player, of course, but he should play a role like these players. And playing alongside LaMelo Ball could unlock this aspect of his game.
Regardless, if the Timberwolves' pitch was wanting Kuminga to be him and not a role player, this brings some concerns about his fit with the team. Now, can Kuminga attack mismatches or create for himself a lot on a strong night? Absolutely, but on a nightly basis, his primary offensive role needs to be play-finishing. As noted, his not an efficient creator, and the Timberwolves have plenty of established talent.
From Kuminga's perspective, his path to impacting winning and ultimately earning a bigger contract is becoming a supercharged role player. Even if you don't believe in McDaniels as a "third option," the reality is that on most teams with two established stars, everyone else largely plays a complementary role. Look at three of the four recent champions in the New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, and Denver Nuggets as evidence of this.
Maybe you'd argue guys like Gordon or Derrick White are more than role players, and that's fine, but more often than not they played off of stars, not as stars. That's what the Timberwolves need from Kuminga.
The good news is that Kuminga appears to be fully bought into the defensive side of the ball. A theme that's been visible through various quotes. Furthermore, Kuminga proved that he's a high-level on-ball defender and that he fits the Wolves' defensive culture. Of course, this is a key part of Kuminga's projection as a high-end complementary player.
Between unlocking more of Kuminga's defense and the benefits of a faster and more free-flowing offense, there's plenty to be excited about his fit with the Timberwolves. Still, Kuminga needs to prove that he's willing to be used significantly more as a play-finisher than a creator. Otherwise, this experiment might backfire to some level.
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