With great power comes great responsibility—and also, a lot of public attention! That has been the case for Jonathan Kuminga since the day he got drafted. After showing immense potential as a rookie, he was immediately dubbed a future superstar and a franchise player for the Warriors. Although he took a massive leap last year, Kuminga’s progress has seemingly become stagnant this season due to lingering injury woes and adjustment struggles with the revamped roster. Sure enough, it has led to constant media scrutiny. But like a true veteran leader, Stephen Curry has come to his teammate’s rescue.

Well, Kuminga returned to the lineup last night after missing a game due to a right pelvic contusion that he suffered during Sunday’s Spurs clash. But the young forward showed no signs of injury or rust against the Lakers and dropped 18 points and nine rebounds, helping his team get a much-needed win. After the game, Steph was asked if this was Kuminga’s best performance so far. Turns out, the Baby-Faced Assassin was tired of such questions.

“I think we need to kind of just let this guy play basketball. We don’t have to have a declaration after every game. We don’t have to be in a situation where we are judging every minute he’s out there.” Steph said, in his brutal response. He continued, “I understand he’s the next in line to come into his own as an NBA player but I wish my 4th year wasn’t the greatest game ever or the bad game ever. He’s figuring out. If we’re gonna win at the highest level, he has to be a part of it.”

Kuminga is still settling into the lineup with Jimmy Butler and is finally starting to regain his form. This season, he has averaged 16 points and nearly five rebounds. But the constant microscopic judgement from media and fans after every game could shift the youngster’s focus and deter his confidence. So, Steph had only one message for JK as he urged the media to cut him some slack, “Keep doing what he’s doing.” Obviously, Steph is not the only Warriors veteran watching Kuminga’s back.

Draymond Green praises Jonathan Kuminga’s “next level growth” as he reveals private challenge during Lakers clash

Well, Kuminga showed last night why he is one of league’s rising stars. Apart from his scoring outburst, he showed high basketball IQ and contributed in multiple ways. Even Draymond was impressed and said postgame, “He was so patient, let the game come to him… I thought the biggest play he made was when he got in the middle of the paint and kicked it out to Moses. That just shows growth.” Although JK is fully capable of making that shot, making the sacrifice to create easy plays for his teammate caught Green’s attention.

He continued, “That’s what stars do. So, it’s just good to see that next level growth from him and we need him to continue playing the way he did tonight.” Moreover, his contribution was not limited to just his offense. When Gary Payton II got sidelined with an injury, Steve Kerr publicly challenged the forward to take over his defensive role and guard the toughest assignments during games.

He did exactly that against the Lakers, and Green pointed it out after the game, “Luka, LeBron everybody he guarded, Austin Reaves at times, he was asking for those matchups. Says a lot. We challenged him in private. We challenged him publicly to step up on the defensive end and he did that. He was great offensively but he was even better defensively.” Slowly but steadily, Kuminga is starting to prove that he could be the future face of the Warriors franchise once Steph and Draymond hang their boots. And its great to see his vets rooting for him. Do you agree?