The No. 7 draft pick of the 2021 NBA draft. A solid role player before a breakout season in 2023-2024. Can Jonathan Kuminga become the face of the Golden State Warriors after Stephen Curry retires? The 22-year-old certainly believes so. “Again, we are really pushing him to run the floor. I mean, that’s his gift,” the Warriors HC Steve Kerr said about the forward in a preseason presser. According to reports, he wanted a big paycheck, second only to Curry. There’s been a lot of uncertainty regarding the Dubs roster and their future.

Jonathan Kuminga was the Warriors 3rd highest scorer last season (only behind the Splash Brothers), He averaged 16.1 points per game, shooting 52.9% overall and 32.1% from three-point range. However, he did not sign an extension with the franchise. Which makes him a restricted free agent next season. Having given Andrew Wiggins a massive $109 million, 4-year contract, in 2022, who did not live up to his All-Star potential, for whatever reasons on/off the court, the Warriors are a lot wiser now. Waiting for the opportune moment. Steve Kerr has finally broken his silence on this issue.

“That’s just normal negotiation stuff. I mean, we, we want JK here for the long haul and obviously, I want him to have a great year and put himself in a position next summer where we, we agree to a contract and you know, one that he’s thrilled with and that we’re happy with as well. So that’s the plan,” the head coach said.

“I think for JK, it’s a matter of continuing to get better. Like, he’s been doing for the last three years, you know, you, I think everybody wants everything to happen right away but um, for young players, especially it rarely works that way. But if you just look at JK’s arc of development, he is dramatically better now than he was three years ago.” Kerr concluded on 95.7 The Game.

While Steve Kerr and GM Mike Dunleavy are not worried about the young star leaving, there was news early this year reported by Shams Charania and Slater. Kuminga had seemingly “lost faith” in Kerr and he even “no longer believes Kerr will allow him to reach his full potential”. But Kerr had acknowledged his improvements last season, during which his track record significantly improved in some aspects.

Steve Kerr wants “more” from Jonathan Kuminga defensively

With the Warriors still not able to fix up a consistent and set starting lineup, things look shaky for Steph and Co. Curry will play at 1, with Green taking up 4. Where will Kuminga fit in? Can this young star make his mark at 3? He showed remarkable improvement last season, increasing his scoring average from 9.9 to 16.1 points per game. In response, Coach Kerr gave him 46 starts, more than he had in his first two seasons combined (28). Jonathan Kuminga has now positioned himself as a near-guaranteed starter for this season, although with restricted free agency looming next summer.

The hooper often donned the role of power forward last season, but now with him probably playing small forward, is he up to the task? The 3’s role is to run the floor, shoot efficiently from beyond the arc and defend. Kuminga’s instructions are to “run forest, run.”

I mean to be in overdrive every time instead of losing momentum, resulting in turnovers. Steve Kerr said, “He has a tendency at times to get into a home-run trot instead of going Usain Bolt and springing as fast as he can. And when he does that, you feel the impact.”

Though the youngster has improved his 3-pointer drastically. It was his one weakness that was stopping him from starting regularly. In the preseason, he shot 44% from beyond the arc. But his defensive ability is where the disadvantage lies. His defensive rating dropped from 112 in the 2023-24 season to 100 in this preseason.

“It’s really more a matter of being in the right spot. So that when he closes out on players, he’s on balance… He’s getting better and he will keep working. But you know, he has his moments where you see it and you know he can be more consistent,” Steve Kerr seems to be quite positive about the Kuminga situation, despite all the rumors around. Do they already have an agreement, contrary to public opinion, you think?