Stephen Curry hopes that the young Golden State Warriors star has room to influence the game without constant scrutiny.
The Golden State Warriors have been in impeccable form since they signed Jimmy Butler. They had great results in the rankings, winning the Los Angeles Lakers 123-116 in a rivalry matchup.
Stephen Curry excelled in this victory. Steph scored a 52-point signature performance in a victory over XXX, scoring 37 points against the Lakers. Despite a quiet start, Curry scored 25 points in the second half. This thwarted the potential Lakers’ comeback attempt to seal the victory.
Brandin Podziemski was in a purple-shaped patch that continued with 28 points, 8 rebounds and six assists. Draymond Green’s campaign for the defensive player of the year was alive and highlighted with his outstanding performances and 11 strong rebounds.
These performances make up for Jimmy Butler’s quiet 11 points. However, his predictions about how he will boost the warriors have proven prophetic. When Butler plays, the team is 20-4 and sees a young star peaking at the right time.
Jonathan Cuminga put 18 points, nine rebounds and four assists off the bench with a strong performance. Stephen Curry recognized Kuminga’s contributions and sent a message to the media about his harsh declaration at the 22-year-old forward this season.
“I think it’s just going to play basketball to this guy. You don’t have to make a declaration after every game. You don’t have to be in a situation where you can judge every minute he’s there.”
Kuminga’s status with regard to the Warriors is considered a major question mark. He enters a restricted free agency in the summer. Despite his unevenness, he expects to be highly compensated with an extension of his contract with the Warriors.
All performances at the age of 22 are highly scrutinized as players like Gui Santos appear to take on the spinning role of Kuminga. He recently returned from a 22-game absence due to an injury and has adapted to the Warriors system.
Jonathan Cuminga is important to the Warriors’ success. He averaged 16.0 points and 4.7 rebounds this season. This will be second of all Warriors players. Jimmy Butler averaged 17.2 points since joining, but Kuminga was here all season and played a major role in the team.
Giving him room to grow in court is not at this point, the Warriors’ winning intentions simply can’t sustain it. However, if Cuminga doesn’t give him room to grow, he won’t be able to meet his potential as a former top five pick.
He is considered to be far from the finished product, but he was a major contributor. Steve Kerr adjusted the roster in his absence, and it didn’t seem like Cuminga was badly overlooked except as a shocking rotator.
Even his numbers would be hard to justify a $200 million contract. But he was able to prove everyone wrong by being an impactful playoff star. This forces him to compensate the Warriors after a proven sample of victory contributions.
But, like Curry said, there’s no point in delving into his future with every performance. But Kuminga has to deal with this being a big topic until the end of the season. Meanwhile, fans are waiting to see how this works.