“I Let Him Live”: Draymond Green Contemplated Confronting 21YO Warriors Star Despite Heroic Effort in Warriors’ Victory

Golden State Warriors star, Draymond Green came out with a new episode last night on his podcast show, The Draymond Green Podcast. This time, like always, he had a lot of beans to spill, especially involving his teammate, the 21-year-old, Jonathan Kuminga. His candid reflections focus on mentoring Kuminga, to meet his potential. Green, however funny, does manage to offer him some constructive criticism despite his heroic efforts in the previous games, helping the Warriors win.

The main highlight of the podcast was Green’s discussion about Kuminga’s performance in the last game against Memphis Grizzlies. The rookie scored 26 points shooting 12 of 17 from the field with an additional 4 assists and 5 rebounds. Despite amazing performance and stats, Green basically “Let him live”, all because he wants him to push himself even further, especially in the rebounding department. Perhaps, Green does hold some really high standards for his younger teammates.

Green also shared about his experience during his College Basketball Days at Michigan State University. He scored over 30 points in a game against Gozanga University, but Green’s mother was unhappy with his performance. Green’s mother was focused on his low rebounding numbers, demonstrating the role of constructive criticism in fostering player development. Green also recalled how his mother was his biggest critic, pushing him to constantly improve. This love seems to drive Green’s criticism regarding Kuminga’s performance.

Jonathan Kuminga’s heroics against the Grizzlies

In the match-up against the Grizzlies, Kuming literally led the way for the Warriors with 26 points 12-17 shooting, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. He helped the Warriors get their 10th win in the past 12 games. He is, slowly, but gradually establishing himself as the Dub nation’s most reliable player, right behind Steph Curry.

Kuminga has 11 of the total 23 points Warriors made in the first quarter. He then moved on to put on a marvelous show in the last two minutes of the second quarter. He then went ahead to shoot a 3-pointer from the arc, and then made a steal that ensured Grizzlies were not in possession of the ball. Later, he raced in, powerfully, in the fourth quarter with his highlight play that had the entire Chase Center roaring with a big “wow” in amazement of what he was doing. He grabbed an alley-oop and passed from Paul and then made that final dunk. He is truly something!

This particular game was the 8th one with him scoring in double figures, and the 46th time of the last 48 games where the 7th overall pick for 2021 put up 10+ points. Even though he hasn’t reached his peak yet, and even though he can go up and down in terms of his performance, he definitely isn’t a rookie anymore. He is playing with the same amount of confidence as Curry does. Probably why, Green wants to give him the much-needed mentorship, so that he ensures he meets his real potential soon.

Fans, Green, and everyone at the Chase Center saw that Memphis was pretty helpless when Kuminga was displaying his skills. His transitions, his dribble, it was magnificent. His offense was rather a violent war on the Grizzlies. That’s probably why Coach Kerr also said it was Kuminga’s best game ever!

The GSW roster, when Curry isn’t on it, is pretty inconsistent. Green understands that, probably why he wants JK to stand up as a bona fide support. Kuminga stands out because of his ability to learn from mistakes, absorb feedback, and work on it. Kuminga’s natural talent gives him the tag of a star in the making. Under the guidance of Green and the coaching staff, he can soon become an important player on the court, making a significant impact.

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