Thompson Reveals the Next Warriors Super Star

After a disappointing start to the 2023/24 season, many Warriors fans have begun getting frustrated with the team. With poor performances from Klay Thompson and the suspensions from Draymond Green, Golden State finds themselves just 12th in the Western Conference with an unlikely record of 18-21.

While far from an ideal start, not all hope is lost as they are still within range of capturing a play-in position. With the sudden emergence of one young star, their chances are looking better game by game.

Young Warriors Star

The young star is Jonathan Kuminga, who was drafted 7th overall by the Warriors in 2021. While he has been given limited minutes throughout his 3-year career, things have taken a turn this year with Kuminga's rotation spot growing month by month.


Starting out the season with around 20 minutes per game, Kuminga has showcased his incredible talents, which have, in turn, earned him more playing time, averaging 28 minutes per game since the start of the new year. Along with his increased playtime, Kuminga has elevated his production and become one of the key scorers for this current Warriors squad.

Shooting 50% from the field during January, Kuminga's scoring has increased from 14.2 points to 17.6 just over the last two months. This upward trend looks on course to continue, as shown by Kuminga in his last two games where he scored 24 points and 28 points. His recent play has even captured the high praise of a 4-time champion in his teammate Klay Thompson, who heavily praised the young star.

"You forget how young he is. He's gonna be a star one day."

Klay raves about JK's growth ⭐ pic.twitter.com/fQ8h4oBOhN— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) January 14, 2024

Kumingas Future

While known as a role player thus far in his career, the 21-year-old has definitely asserted himself into the main core of this Warriors team. Unfortunately, he is not yet a full-time starter; he has made just 15 starts in 38 appearances this season, mostly due to injuries or suspensions from other starters.

If he can continue his recent form and keep playing at this level, however, it should only be a matter of time before he is inserted into a starting role permanently.



Credits
The Coldwire