According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the Minnesota Timberwolves have signed Jonathan Kuminga to a two-year, $13 million contract that has a player option in the second year. Theoretically, Kuminga will fill the void at the starting power forward position in Minnesota, but he doesn’t exactly have a history of fitting in perfectly with other teams.
In fact, there’s a reason Kuminga is already on his third team this early in his NBA career. His time with the Golden State Warriors was short-lived and marred by drama, and he only spent half a season with the Atlanta Hawks, who let him slip into unrestricted free agency. And Kuminga didn’t sign in July, either. It’s late August.
Teams around the league were clearly wary of Kuminga, and the Wolves must be careful with how they approach things. They can’t let the Kuminga of old get in the way of their pursuit of a championship.
Timberwolves need to be careful of Jonathan Kuminga's past
Taking a look at what Kuminga has brought to the table over the course of his young career thus far, it’s not hard to get a bit excited about the potential fit in Minnesota.
Kuminga is a freak athlete. He will definitely help the Timberwolves push the pace, and with LaMelo Ball leading the way, he should act as an interesting lob threat for the Wolves’ new point guard.
However, for all of the great things Kuminga could bring to the table, there are definitely some concerns to note. And they’ve popped up at times throughout the course of his career.
Kuminga’s three-point shot hasn’t been very consistent at any stop so far. And while he should be a great defender thanks to his size and athleticism, that hasn’t translated super well.
But the big thing the Wolves need to watch out for is the lack of adaptability. During his time with the Warriors, that seems to be the main thing that got in the way of him thriving.
Golden State was trying to win with the same formula that had helped it win in the past: Stephen Curry ball. Unfortunately, that meant Kuminga prioritizing playing a role over his own star development.
He didn’t seem too fond of that.
As a result, there was a ton of drama when it came to his eventual extension, and Kuminga didn’t get as many minutes as a player who was drafted as highly as he was typically would.
Fitting in hasn’t come easy to Kuminga, and the Wolves need him to do just that. They need him to fit in and play a role. Because if he doesn’t – if he once again wants to prioritize his own self over the team – things could get ugly.
Add us as a preferred source on Google