How did Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga do for Congo in the Fiba World Cup qualifiers
Jonathan Kuminga
Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
With the Golden State Warriors losing numerous players in the offseason, much is expected from sophomore forward Jonathan Kuminga in the Dubs' title defense in the upcoming 2022-23 NBA season.
Kuminga recently gave the Dubs and their rabid fan base a taste of what's to come during the FIBA World Cup qualifiers in Tunisia, Africa, as the athletic forward played for his home country of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Kuminga shows promise and flaws
Kuminga put up gaudy numbers in a 71-69 loss to Cameroon, piling up 18 points, six rebounds, an assist, a block, and a steal. However, he was far from efficient as he missed 11 of his 15 attempts, including an egregious 0-for-7 from three. A silver lining to the performance was Kuminga's aggressiveness, which led to him getting to the line 12 times and converting 10 free throws.
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The 19-year-old forward followed that up with a more well-rounded outing against South Sudan. Although Kuminga and his team got crushed, 101-58, the Dubs forward had 16 points, four assists, and two rebounds. He was also more efficient from the field, making six out of 12 field goal attempts, and punctuated his performance with a thunderous reverse slam.
Kuminga completed his campaign for Congo by scoring 19 points in a 57-45 defeat at the hands of Tunisia. While he hauled down eight boards, he also committed eight turnovers—a stat Dubs head coach Steve Kerr will surely want Kuminga to clean up. The young Warrior did not have a tough time getting his shot off, as he was 5-of-9 from the field, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc.
Year 2 for Kuminga
Despite not getting any wins in the FIBA qualifiers, Kuminga's experience will certainly pay dividends when he dons the Dubs jersey again this October. With Otto Porter, Gary Payton II, and Damion Lee leaving in the offseason, Kerr and his coaching staff will be looking to Kuminga to provide a much-needed scoring punch.
The Congo native is still raw and has a lot of things to work on before he can be considered an impact player in the NBA. However, his ceiling is incredibly high, and Dubs fans should be excited for what's to come from Kuminga in his second season with the team.
