Kuminga has played in 11 January games. Here are his numbers: 20.1 points per game on 59 percent shooting and 40 percent from 3 in 29.7 minutes. He’s added 5.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists and been assigned high-usage scorers as his defensive assignment.
There have been about 25 stop-and-start Kuminga moments through his first three seasons, and coach Steve Kerr has been hesitant to consistently trust him. So it’s too early to declare an unquestioned arrival. But it does feel different this time. His impact is more sustainable and the pressure on Kerr to commit to him as a 30-minute per night piece is more obvious and fierce.
That, of course, ups his value around the league. I’ve had several scouts note the legitimacy of the leap they’ve seen from Kuminga the last month. There are rival teams who’d love to trade for him.
But conversations with the Warriors’ decision makers — including about which players to possibly add — now come attached more often to Kuminga being a part of the foundational fold. How does this player fit next to Green and Kuminga in the frontcourt?
The Warriors don’t appear ready to give up a 21-year-old rising wing to aid the rotational depth of a 19-24 team (where Kuminga is currently a top three- or four rotation player anyway). If a legit star is available, sure, but that’s not the current landscape.