LOS ANGELES — There’s a reason why Jonathan Kuminga has such a bright, hot spotlight on him. Why he gets overanalyzed and hyped, scrutinized and spotlighted. By his teammates and coaches, by fans, by the media.
It’s because he’s the Warriors’ X-factor. Because he’s in his fourth year, in what has been an unconventional arc in an unconventional situation. Because his raw talent and athleticism remains elite, and because his fit within the team’s system remains finicky at times.
That doesn’t necessarily make the interminable focus on him right.
“I think we need to kind of just let this guy play basketball,” Steph Curry said. “We don’t have to have a declaration after every game. We don’t have to be in a situation where we’re judging every minute he’s out there. I understand he’s next in line to come into his own as an NBA player, but I wish my fourth year wasn’t, ‘Was this the greatest game ever? Was it the [worst] game ever?’ He’s figuring it out. If we’re going to win at the highest level, he has to be a part of it.”
Same for Brandin Podziemski, the second-year guard with a penchant for winning plays and a recent habit for scoring binges. Both were excellent in the Warriors’ 123-116 victory over the Lakers Thursday night, showing just how much they can raise Golden State’s ceiling.
Podziemski poured in eight 3-pointers — including a half-court buzzer-beater to end the first half — en route to a 28-point, eight-rebound, six-assist night. Kuminga was a team-best +9 and earned a spot in the closing lineup with 18 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and a sky-high block. They were each a huge part of Golden State’s ability to hold their lead from the second quarter on in one of its most impressive wins of the year.
Even after acquiring Jimmy Butler, the Warriors are going to be at a talent deficit against the teams they would have to beat on a title run. Unless…
Unless Podziemski, Kuminga, and Moses Moody ascend to their highest capabilities. Unless they star in their roles and feel out what a game needs them to do on a given night — like they did in Crypto.com Arena on Thursday. Like they’ll need to do for the rest of the season, when every game is essentially a playoff tilt.
“The way I view it right now is just trying to get as many reps as I can,” Kuminga told The Standard postgame. “And learning everything, because when everything gets too serious and we’re at that playoff mode, I’m at the same speed as everyone — especially our best. Me, Moses, BP, we’ve got to get used to what’s to come. I know it’s going to be a hard road. It won’t be easy. So try to get used to it.”
A loss to the Lakers would’ve slid the Warriors down to eighth place in the West. Instead, they’re in fifth, only a game behind the fourth-place Lakers, who have two contests against Oklahoma City coming up. The Warriors plan to play their veterans on the second night of a back-to-back against Denver Friday at Chase Center, sprinting full-throttle toward the finish line while trying to avoid the play-in round.
Such a stretch of intense games — “meaningful basketball” in Warriors parlance — can be immensely valuable for the team’s young players. Kuminga has only 199 minutes of playoff basketball under his belt. Podziemski has played one postseason game — last year’s play-in loss in Sacramento. Moody has played just 25 playoff games.
“Unfortunately, [Podziemski] hasn’t had the opportunity to play much meaningful basketball at this level,” Green said. “So for us, we plan on doing that. For him, we need these games to prepare for what’s to come. For Moses, JK — those guys won a championship, but they didn’t play a ton of minutes. They are key pieces to what we’re trying to do now. Getting these guys these games right now that mean something and seeing them step up the way they are is huge.”
They stepped up in a major way. Kuminga attacked mismatches on the perimeter and on the block, taking advantage of the Lakers’ switching scheme. Podziemski sank eight of his 10 3-point tries. Moody added a trio of threes and spent his 29 minutes competing defensively against Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves.
Kuminga in particular adds a different dimension as a rim threat. But he also showed patience, like when he passed up what would’ve been a contested shot in the lane and instead dished to Moody for a corner three.
“That’s what stars do,” Green said. “So it’s just good to see that next level of growth for him. We need him to continue playing the way he played tonight. Every night’s not going to look the same for him. That’s just the way this league works when an offense isn’t built around you. But we always need him getting downhill, and him playing with the patience he played with tonight was huge.”
Kuminga is still dealing with a sore ankle and pelvic contusion that sidelined him for Tuesday’s Memphis game. “Work in progress,” he said. But performances like Thursday’s are what can take the team to another level, Green said.
He earned a role in the Warriors’ closing five, which is a major development; for the Warriors to make a true run, they’ll have to succeed while playing their best five players together.
Podziemski and Moody likewise showed that when they helped the Warriors close out the Grizzlies Tuesday night with a pair of clutch plays down the stretch. Podziemski flew in for a putback, and Moody sealed the game with a three.
The past two games, and the final six, carry playoff intensity. Each result will be proof, one way or another, of how much weight the Warriors’ young players must carry.
“We can’t just rely on Jimmy, Steph, and Dray every night,” Podziemski said. “There’s going to be other players in the playoffs that have to step up.”
