Former Golden State Warriors champion Andre Iguodala stood up for the recently-criticized Jonathan Kuminga.
Jonathan Kuminga was the subject of a recent Stephen A. Smith report disguised as a tirade. Speaking on Kuminga, Smith reported that he heard Kuminga’s work ethic is lacking especially in comparison to some of the other young stars on the Golden State Warriors roster.
Kuminga appeared to clap back at that reporting.
We’re not exactly sure how it holds up, anyway, considering the product of his work. Kuminga averaged 19.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game in 25.9 minutes of Summer League play per game across 4 contests this offseason.
Nonetheless, when Stephen A. talks, the sports world listens, and so Kuminga’s focus and effort came into discussion.
Andre Iguodala stood up for Jonathan Kuminga and his work ethic
As transcribed by Tristi Rodrigues, Andre Iguodala spoke on Kuminga on his podcast recently, coming to the young forwards defense:
“My young fella, I’m on his head,” Iguodala said on his “Point Forward” podcast on Friday. “He took some licks from Stephen A. I don’t know how warranted they were because from what I heard he been doing what he supposed to do this summer.”
Kuminga had a decent rookie year in minimal playing time. Per 36 minutes in his rookie year he averaged 19.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists.
His usage in the postseason was situational and sporadic, but his efforts were important en route to the title, particularly against the Memphis Grizzlies. In the Memphis series, he averaged 23.3 points per 36 minutes and shot over 50 percent from the field.
Kuminga is one of a few youthful pieces the Warriors have at their disposal to continue developing while the Warriors continue to strengthen their dynasty and win titles. It sounds like the reports of his lacking work ethic may have been overblown. We’ll see how he performs in his sophomore season.