After summer interest, Kings saw the Jonathan Kuminga roller coaster firsthand
After all the discussion connecting Jonathan Kuminga to the Sacramento Kings throughout the offseason, the Kings saw first hand the roller coaster he could be as a player during their win Wednesday night over his Golden State Warriors.
Kuminga scored led all scorers with 17 points in the first half on an efficient 6-of-9 shooting, leading an offense that was without Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green. But he couldn’t replicate it in the second half.
The Kings stiffened their defense, Warriors’ fouls became an issue and Sacramento started taking Golden State turnovers the other way for baskets. Kuminga committed three of his five fouls in the third, and the Kings took control of the game en route to the 121-116 victory despite not having leading scorer Zach LaVine or center Domantas Sabonis.
“I think it just messed up the momentum of certain things we had going,” Kuminga said of his and his teammates’ fouling in the third quarter. “I think just me fouling took the momentum out of the team. That’s my fault.”
The Kings shot 14-of-18 from the free-throw line in the third quarter while outscoring the Warriors 35-23 in the frame and taking the lead after going into halftime down 5. They also scored 10 points of turnovers, of which Kuminga had two.
“We got him the ball quite a bit. He helped us get off to a great start,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “He really gave a fantastic effort and played really well. I think the lesson for him and for our team is how important every possession is.”
Kuminga’s stat line: 24 points, nine rebounds, three assists, five turnovers and five fouls while shooting 8-of-19 from the field and 2-of-5 from distance. He shot just 2-of-10 in the second half while the Kings’ veterans took advantage of the Warriors being without their stars and playing on the second night of a back-to-back.
“We were aggressive with him,” Kings guard Russell Westbrook said of defending Kuminga. “We gave him too much space in the first half. He got some easy ones. We kept him in front of us, made him shoot some tough shots. Made him have to play a little bit more.”
Kuminga, the talented 23-year-old, showcased everything that made him a polarizing player during his protracted restricted free agency saga over the summer. His stalemate with the Warriors included taking a meeting with new Kings general manager Scott Perry, who expressed interest in giving him a starting job with the Kings if Sacramento and Golden State could work out a complicated sign-and-trade.
But Kuminga and his camp stayed with the Warriors on a two-year, $46.8 million contract with a team option for the second season. During negotiations, the Warriors never signaled they were interested in a trade with Sacramento, and the contract accomplishes the goals of fitting within the Warriors’ complicated salary structure and making Kuminga a potentially enticing trade candidate if they decide to go a different direction ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
Kuminga early in the season has worked to be a better complement to the Warriors’ aging stars Curry, Butler and Green than he did previously while he became a lightning rode figure in the Bay Area. But that could change, and the Kings’ interest in acquiring Kuminga could reignite now that the complications of restricted free agency are no longer in play.
In the meantime, Wednesday’s win pushed Sacramento to 3-5 on the young season with the next four games coming at home. The Kings next host the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday at Golden 1 Center.
