Man oh man, do I love watching Jonathan Kuminga play basketball. He has a presence I haven’t felt since … (more on this in a minute).
But perhaps best of all, it feels like the Warriors straight up robbed the Timberwolves of Kuminga’s raw, elite athleticism and nicely developed basketball IQ. Watching him play, it’s hard to believe Kuminga won’t turn 20 years old until October.
Golden State acquired the No. 7 pick used to draft Kuminga in the D’Angelo Russell/Andrew Wiggins trade, and if Kuminga keeps trending upward as he has been, that deal could become one of the greatest heists in league history.
And in celebration of Kuminga’s presence in Golden State, presumably, the Warriors’ official Twitter account released a sweeeet video of Kuminga’s “posters” from the first half of his rookie season.
I mean, inject that into my veins, please. (Only if you’re Board Certified.)
I’ve been trying to think of a nickname for Kuminga, too. Or rather, his attitude on the court gave me some inspiration.
The young man plays with a bit of anger, I’ve noticed. Nothing major, but it’s there. He’s just 19, and will probably grow out of it. But his game on the court? It will likely always be intimidating, strong, forceful, high-flying, and awe-inspiring.
Put it all together, and he’s Darth Vader. He has some good in him, clearly (to follow along with the Star Wars theme), but the guy plays with a serious edge. And he has the power to back it up.
So maybe “Vader?” No. “Darth Dunk?” Maybe. How about “Darth Ball?” Kind of like Darth Maul from the movies. “Jon-Anakin?” I don’t know. I probably shouldn’t try and force it, but Kuminga really is something else.
But this is about more than fun for Golden State. They are putting the future of the franchise in Kuminga’s hands, eventually, along with young Dubs Jordan Poole, fellow rookie Moses Moody, and — ideally — second-year forward James Wiseman (who is still injured).
And while I feel kind of bad for the Timberwolves, I didn’t make the trade. They did. And I can’t wait to watch my guy Jon-Anakin Kuminga learn more about his powers and potentially lay waste to his opponents as he helps lead the Warriors into the future.
EXTRA: Kuminga went off yet again on Thursday night against the Kings, scoring 18 points on 8-10 shooting. He added seven rebounds. Plus, he fouled out (Jon-Anakin will learn to control his crazy powers before long).
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