Bleacher Report ranks Warriors’ Kuminga most overrated NBA player originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Jonathan Kuminga widely is regarded as one of the more exciting young NBA players after his breakout 2023-24 season.
But is the hype premature?
Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale released his ranking of the “most overrated” players in the league, with Kuminga taking the top spot.
1. Jonathan Kuminga, Golden State Warriors
Nutshell Case: We still need more, at both ends of the floor, for longer.
“I’m just at the point where I think he might be one of the most overrated players in the NBA,” Dan Favale said on Bleacher Report’s “Hardwood Knocks” podcast. “And I don’t mean that as an insult. But we’re talking about him as if he almost has this Mikal Bridges-type of non-star value. I see the vision with him. But as of right now, I don’t trust the jumper. I don’t trust his ability to generate his own shot unless he’s in space. And the defense is kind of just all over the place.
“Part of it is, it’s a glamor franchise, he’s the best version of a hot prospect that they have, and so, everybody is aware of him,” Grant Hughes added. “And the highlights do it, too. We love A-plus athleticism. And then it makes it harder to be rational about [how he] does not show up in the right spots on defense a lot. He doesn’t rebound. So, I think it’s not a hot take to say he’s pretty overrated. At the same time, I think his potential is still stupidly high.”
“To what end Golden State’s responsible for Kuminga’s enduring limitations is debatable,” Favale wrote. “He did not have what you’d call a consistent role until last season. And make no mistake, the per-minute production leaps off the page.
“But this idea that he’s cornerstone material, both inside and outside the Warriors organization, is bizarre. Maybe he will get there one day. I hope he does. He’s not there yet, though.”
The four players ranked behind Kuminga are Houston’s Jalen Green (No. 2), Charlotte’s Miles Bridges (No. 3), Denver’s Jamal Murray (No. 4) and Orlando’s Jonathan Isaac (No. 5).
After selecting a then-18-year-old Kuminga with the No. 7 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, the young forward struggled to maintain a clear and consistent role in coach Steve Kerr’s rotations for the first two seasons before enjoying a standout campaign last season.
In 74 games (46 starts) during the 2023-24 season, Kuminga averaged career-highs in points (16.1), rebounds (4.8) and assists (2.2) per game while shooting 52.9 percent from the field and 32.1-percent from 3-point range.
The 21-year-old became a consistent second scoring option to superstar guard Steph Curry while continuing to show off the explosiveness that led Golden State to select him three years ago.
However, as Bleacher Report points out, there is room for Kuminga to grow defensively and Kerr repeatedly has stressed his desire for Kuminga to improve as a shooter and as a playmaker.
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