Draymond Green and Jonathan Kuminga
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Draymond Green and Jonathan Kuminga are former teammates in Golden State.
After the saga between Jonathan Kuminga and the Golden State Warriors ended at the trade deadline, Draymond Green shared his honest take on his former teammate.
On the latest episode of “The Draymond Green Show,” the Warriors veteran has voiced his real feelings about Kuminga’s career in the Bay Area. He started with the predicament the young forward was put into at the start of his career.
“When you’re the seventh pick in the NBA draft, you usually go to a place where they’re going to give you the ball,” Green said. “They’re going to allow you to make a ton of mistakes, and you grow through those mistakes in hopes that you become a key, cornerstone, franchise piece to the rebuild of the team that drafted you with the seventh pick.”
But because Kuminga was drafted by the Warriors, and they won a championship in his rookie season, it was tough for him to break through at times.
Nevertheless, Green still admired the way Kuminga handled himself in four and a half seasons in Golden State.
“I appreciate the way he handled it, the maturity he showed in handling the situation the entire time, even when the writing was on the wall and everybody in the world kind of knew a trade was going to happen.”
Kuminga hasn’t made his debut for the Atlanta Hawks due to a lingering left knee injury. He’ll be re-evaluated after the NBA All-Star break, as per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
Green Comments on Kristaps Porzingis
The Warriors traded Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Kristaps Porzingis. It was an underwhelming deal for some members of the fanbase due to the franchise being linked to someone like Giannis Antetokounmpo.
However, Draymond Green likes Porzingis’ fit in Golden State. He alluded to finally having a defensive big man, with KP’s shooting as a bonus.
“For me, personally, I love when there’s another rim protector on the floor because then I could, stuff that I see, I can act on it,” Green said. “When I’m the only rim protector, stuff that I see and may want to act on, you can’t do that ’cause you just leave the rim.”
Porzingis has only played in 17 games this season due to his illness and different injuries. He’s expected to get cleared after the All-Star break.
Buddy Hield’s Impact on Golden State
Not a lot of people are talking about Buddy Hield being part of the Kristaps Porzingis trade. Hield was a favorite in Golden State, especially his friendship with Jimmy Butler.
Draymond Green discussed Hield’s impact on the Warriors despite his short tenure there.
“No matter if he was playing, starting, coming off the bench or getting DNPs, attitude the same,” Green said. “No matter if it’s rain, snowing, sun shining or just a normal spring day, attitude the exact same. And when you get guys like that in your organization, they leave marks. And Buddy Hield left a mark.”
Green added that Hield was one of his favorite teammates of all time. The Warriors had to include him in the Porzingis trade to match the salaries.