Bleacher Report ranks Warriors’ Kuminga as the most overrated player in the NBA Originally appeared in NBC Bay Area Sports
Jonathan Kuminga is widely regarded as one of the most exciting young players in the NBA after his breakout 2023-24 season.
But is this hype premature?
Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale released his rankings of the The “most overrated” players in the leaguewith Kuminga taking first place.
1. Jonathan Kuminga, Golden State Warriors
Case in point: We still need more, at both ends of the court, for longer.
“I’m at the point where I think he might be one of the most overrated players in the NBA,” Dan Favale told Bleacher Report. Podcast “The wood knocks”“And I don’t mean this as an insult, but we’re talking about him like he’s got non-stellar value, a la Mikal Bridges. I see the vision in him, but right now I don’t trust the jump shot, I don’t trust his ability to generate his own shot unless he’s in space, and the defense is all over the place.
“Part of it is because it’s a glamour franchise, he’s the best version of a rising prospect that they have, and that’s why everyone knows him,” Grant Hughes added. “And the highlights do, too. We love top-notch athleticism. And then it becomes harder to be rational about (how) he doesn’t show up in the right spots a lot on defense. He doesn’t rebound. So I think it’s not an exaggerated opinion to say that he’s pretty overrated. At the same time, I think his potential is still stupidly high.“
“It’s debatable to what extent Golden State is responsible for Kuminga’s persistent limitations,” Favale wrote. “He didn’t have what you might call a consistent role until last season. And make no mistake, the per-minute production jumps off the page.
“But this idea that he’s a key player, both inside and outside the Warriors organization, is strange. Maybe he’ll get there one day. I hope he does. But he’s not there yet.”
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 the then-18-year-old Kuminga with the No. 7 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, the young forward struggled to maintain a clear, consistent role in coach Steve Kerr’s rotations over the first two seasons before enjoying a breakout 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 for superstar guard Steph Curry and continued to show the explosiveness that led Golden State to draft him three years ago.
However, as Bleacher Report notes, there is room for Kuminga to grow defensively and Kerr has repeatedly emphasized his desire to Kuminga will improve as a shooter and as a playmaker.
