NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 14: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Julius Randle #30 of the New York Knicks in action against Gary Payton II #0, Jonathan Kuminga #00 and Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors at Madison Square Garden on December 14, 2021 in New York City. The Warriors defeated the Knicks 105-96. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
Golden State Warriors power forward Draymond Green comments on how he’s coaching up rookie phenomenon Jonathan Kuminga on his technique.
While the hype about the return of Golden State’s Big 3 is warranted, so is the ongoing praise for rookie power forward Jonathan Kuminga.
Kuminga ranks as one of three NBA rookies who weren’t supposed to be this good this fast. It’s a testament not to how wrong draft analysts were in evaluating the No. 7 pick, but that Kuminga has excelled exponentially in a matter of months. The Warriors now rely on Kuminga to work the perimeter and set screens, but the 19-year-old is far from his final form. He’s still in screening school, according to mentor Draymond Green.
“We’ve got to bring him to screening school,” Green said. “He’s still not quite there yet. He’s figuring out the angles. Which is important. That’s the toughest part. Now we’ve got to get him to start laying some wood. We’ve got to start getting him body-to-body with guys because when he screens well, he’s gonna get dunks. Nobody can stop him from diving into the paint. We’ve still got a little bit of teaching to do with JK in screening school before playoffs, but we’ll have him ready.”
Draymond Green is taking rookie Warriors phenom Jonathan Kuminga to screening school
As Green noted, Kevon Looney has been working on his technique for years, and Green says that “he’s a master now.” But Looney is 26 years old and was drafted back in 2015, giving him a six-year head start over Kuminga.
What all three of these power forwards indicate is that the Warriors have incredible depth at the position, three generations of players with exceptional play spanning a decade, and a promising future with Green teaching Looney and Kuminga. What it also demonstrates is that the Warriors are practically psychic when it comes to drafting talent: all three power forwards were drafted by the Warriors, meaning the team struck gold on all three.
For any franchise, that’s impressive, but this is also the team that drafted Klay Thompson and Steph Curry and created a culture that made them want to stay. With these veterans coaching up the young guys, the Warriors could just keep winning for years to come.