[Mick]

All excellent points. I might also mention Trayce Jackson Davis at the five...I think he's come a long ways, presents a different look. Of the regulars, Butler had the greatest net between offensive and defensive rating, Looney was second and Jackson-Davis was third.

This is an old, old team. Warriors will be the second-oldest in the NBA in 2025/2026. Lots of injuries and days off to come.
Youngest and Oldest NBA Teams 2025-26: Average Age for All NBA Teams - Bookies.com

And...separate questions...what are Kuminga's strengths, exactly? In this lineup? He can't rebound. He can't play defense. He had the second greatest negative disparity between offensive and defensive ratings among the regulars. Why do we want him again?

As pointed out, we don't "really" want him. But if he took the QO or we let him walk, we would lose the salary slot that he represents. 

He does have a valuable skill set, namely the ability to get downhill, get buckets with reasonable efficiency, and get fouled. He also has on ball defensive chops. He also has some major liabilities, namely his bad off ball defense, mediocre three point shot, and ball stopping tendencies. His rebounding numbers aren't actually bad, they're just not as good as they should be for his athleticism. 

I think the pacers provided a good blueprint in how they used Mathurin in the playoffs. He is the closest comp to Kuminga in the league IMO. He would get run as a 6th or 7th man and if he was attacking, scoring, locked in on D he might get 25-30 minutes. Other nights when he doesn't have it or isn't playing with as much force he might get 5-10 minute. 

Ultimately we probably move him at the deadline for a more complementary piece, but we can/should use his skill set in the meantime, even if it's an awkward fit.

---

Don't overlook De'Anthony Melton.  Sure, he is still recovering from an ACL injury, but he clearly earned his starting role just before he was injured.  I had thought of him mostly as a defensive specialist before he came to the Warriors, but the kid was doing absolutely everything from scoring, distributing, playing disruptive defense and fitting in with a high BB-IQ style of play that we really lost an important cog when he went down.

Let's hope he can get back to 100%.  I think he complements Steph nicely.

 

Agreed. I had forgotten before watching some videos how much he was doing as an on ball creator before he got hurt. He really is a perfect 2 guard next to Steph and could easily be closing games for us if his health permits. Of our abundance of riches at the 2-3 spot (Melton, Podz, Moody, Hield), he is definitely the most complete package.

Agreed, when healthy, Melton is a superior 2 guard, fun to watch. Great instincts...and speaking of which, a friendly acquaintance of mine is a D2 head basketball coach. His opinion on Kuminga is that he has poor instincts, or really no instincts. He has to think too much, too often doesn't react well or doesn't react at all. He says you see this with some really athletic players, particularly those who haven't played much basketball at a high level as a youth. They rely on their athleticism and don't develop instincts.

Take rebounds. Rebounds are about effort, jumping ability, positioning, anticipation (rebounds have a very symmetrical spatial signature), timing, leverage and strength. A 6'3" guard who is not particularly strong or physical, Steph Curry, averages 5.0 rebounds per 36 minutes. Podziemski, a 6'5" guard at the shallow end of the athletic gene pool and can't really jump (NBA-wise) but is strong and physical and has great instincts, averages 7.3 rebounds per 36 minutes. Kuminga, 6'8" and can jump out of the gym averages 6.6 rebounds per 36 minutes.

[Mick]

All excellent points. I might also mention Trayce Jackson Davis at the five...I think he's come a long ways, presents a different look. Of the regulars, Butler had the greatest net between offensive and defensive rating, Looney was second and Jackson-Davis was third.

This is an old, old team. Warriors will be the second-oldest in the NBA in 2025/2026. Lots of injuries and days off to come.
Youngest and Oldest NBA Teams 2025-26: Average Age for All NBA Teams - Bookies.com

And...separate questions...what are Kuminga's strengths, exactly? In this lineup? He can't rebound. He can't play defense. He had the second greatest negative disparity between offensive and defensive ratings among the regulars. Why do we want him again?

As pointed out, we don't "really" want him. But if he took the QO or we let him walk, we would lose the salary slot that he represents. 

He does have a valuable skill set, namely the ability to get downhill, get buckets with reasonable efficiency, and get fouled. He also has on ball defensive chops. He also has some major liabilities, namely his bad off ball defense, mediocre three point shot, and ball stopping tendencies. His rebounding numbers aren't actually bad, they're just not as good as they should be for his athleticism. 

I think the pacers provided a good blueprint in how they used Mathurin in the playoffs. He is the closest comp to Kuminga in the league IMO. He would get run as a 6th or 7th man and if he was attacking, scoring, locked in on D he might get 25-30 minutes. Other nights when he doesn't have it or isn't playing with as much force he might get 5-10 minute. 

Ultimately we probably move him at the deadline for a more complementary piece, but we can/should use his skill set in the meantime, even if it's an awkward fit.

---

Don't overlook De'Anthony Melton.  Sure, he is still recovering from an ACL injury, but he clearly earned his starting role just before he was injured.  I had thought of him mostly as a defensive specialist before he came to the Warriors, but the kid was doing absolutely everything from scoring, distributing, playing disruptive defense and fitting in with a high BB-IQ style of play that we really lost an important cog when he went down.

Let's hope he can get back to 100%.  I think he complements Steph nicely.

 

Agreed. I had forgotten before watching some videos how much he was doing as an on ball creator before he got hurt. He really is a perfect 2 guard next to Steph and could easily be closing games for us if his health permits. Of our abundance of riches at the 2-3 spot (Melton, Podz, Moody, Hield), he is definitely the most complete package.

Agreed, when healthy, Melton is a superior 2 guard, fun to watch. Great instincts...and speaking of which, a friendly acquaintance of mine is a D2 head basketball coach. His opinion on Kuminga is that he has poor instincts, or really no instincts. He has to think too much, too often doesn't react well or doesn't react at all. He says you see this with some really athletic players, particularly those who haven't played much basketball at a high level as a youth. They rely on their athleticism and don't develop instincts.

Take rebounds. Rebounds are about effort, jumping ability, positioning, anticipation (rebounds have a very symmetrical spatial signature), timing, leverage and strength. A 6'3" guard who is not particularly strong or physical, Steph Curry, averages 5.0 rebounds per 36 minutes. Podziemski, a 6'5" guard at the shallow end of the athletic gene pool and can't really jump (NBA-wise) but is strong and physical and has great instincts, averages 7.3 rebounds per 36 minutes. Kuminga, 6'8" and can jump out of the gym averages 6.6 rebounds per 36 minutes.