The Golden State Warriors responded from Friday's disappointing 17-point loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, claiming revenge on their Western Conference rival in a 114-106 victory on Sunday at Chase Center.
Stephen Curry and Buddy Hield led the way offensively with a combined 12 threes and 57 points, but Steve Kerr's revitalized faith in Jonathan Kuminga was also a major storyline emanating from the eight-point victory.
After playing 28 minutes or more in just two of Golden State's first 17 games, Kuminga entered Sunday's game having reached that mark in four of his last five games. Even more notably, Kerr declared that the 22-year-old would become the team's new starting power forward ahead of veteran Draymond Green.
The Warriors faith in Kuminga went even further against the Timberwolves, undoubtedly aided by an ankle issue for fellow forward Andrew Wiggins that saw him absent from the game. Kuminga saw over 36 minutes of action, easily a team-high and also a season-high for the young forward.
Kuminga overcame a rough 2-of-9 shooting first-half to finish with 20 points, seven rebounds and two assists, but it was his defense that shined against Julius Randle and at times against Anthony Edwards.
Jonathan Kuminga is a menace on defense 🔒
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Welcome to kuminga jail Randle pic.twitter.com/AlqnYz0aXB
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Jonathan Kuminga giving Anthony Edwards hell on defense. He calling for screens to get him off, forced 2 turnovers. But of course no one posting about this
— CeeJay Carter (@ceejaycarter3) December 9, 2024
The potential of Kuminga as a versatile defender was on show, with the former seventh overall pick blocking Mike Conley on a drive in the third-quarter, before twice blocking Randle on post-up attempts in the fourth period.
Randle finished with 14 points on just 4-of-14 shooting from the floor, including going 0-of-4 in nearly 10 fourth-quarter minutes. Much of that had to do with Kuminga who utilized his rare combination of size and athleticism to be disruptive on both the perimeter and inside the paint.
Many will look at the offensive end and the potential of Kuminga becoming a dominant force on that end -- for good reason given Golden State are still on the search for another star to pair with Stephen Curry. But it's actually the defensive end where Kuminga might grow the most thanks to the increased responsibility.
As a starter playing 30+ minutes per game, Kuminga can actually prepare for specific matchups and scout accordingly. It's so much more difficult and often impossible to do that when you're coming off the bench because your minutes are so sporadic, and because you're not 100% sure what the sub patterns of the opposing team might be.
Kuminga is a better individual defender than he is a team defender at this point of his career, so giving him a designated task on that end should make it much easier for him to be able to have an impact. He was able to do that effectively against the Timberwolves, providing optimism for the Warriors on how this could develop as the season progresses.