The Golden State Warriors made some very intriguing decisions this year. Will the moves help Stephen Curry win one last NBA title?
NBA Training Camp Battles: Will Jonathan Kuminga Or Andrew Wiggins Start At Small Forward For Warriors?
Golden State has won 44+ games in the two campaigns since capturing their fourth NBA crown. The Warriors went 46-36 last season but finished fifth in a tough Pacific division. Their season ended with a 118-94 loss to Sacramento in the 9-10 play-in game.
The salary cap was a big issue for the Warriors heading into the offseason. So, per owner Jacob Lacob’s wishes, general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. made some hard yet prudent decisions. The Warriors released Chris Paul, Dario Saric left via agency, and Klay Thompson was dealt to the Dallas Mavericks in a six-team trade.
Golden State brought in De’anthony Melton, Buddy Hield, and Kyle Anderson to replace the duo. As a result of the player shuffling, the Warriors will likely have a few training camp battles. Two players are guaranteed starting jobs: Curry (PG) and Draymond Green will start at power forward, per Tim Kawakami of The San Francisco Standard.
Why Kuminga Should Start At Small Forward
That means one of the starting jobs up for grabs is at small forward. Jonathan Kuminga and Andrew Wiggins are the two candidates for the job. Both players started more times than they came off the bench last season. Kunminga started 46 of his 76 appearances, and Wiggins opened with the first five in 59 of 71 contests.
Wiggins averaged 27.0 minutes a game, and Kuminga saw a little less than 27. Wiggins saw the majority of time at the 3, while Kuminga split time between the 4 and 5 with a few minutes sprinkled in at the 3. However, Kuminga is coming off a career season, as he averaged 16 points a game on 52.9% shooting. Meanwhile, Wiggins turned in the worst campaign of his career, compiling 13.2 points on 45.2% shooting.
“I’ve always been a small forward, my whole life,” Kuminga told Kawakami. “And I don’t have a position at this point, because I feel like … when I go back in the summer, I work on everything. Because I’m a small forward, but I could play any position, so I never just define myself as small forward. I’m definitely confident, and I just can’t wait to go out there and show people what I’ve been working on and stuff. I mean, it’s always my thing to just work on certain things and get better. And I feel like shooting threes, I’ve gotten so much better shooting.”
According to Kawakami, for Steve Kerr to consider Kuminga a full-time starter, he needs to see the 21-year-old improve in a few areas. Kerr said he wants Kuminga to be a better decision-maker on offense, to play faster, and to become a more reliable 3-point shooter.
For his part, Kuminga is confident he will improve from beyond the arc:
“I’m definitely confident. And I just can’t wait to go out there and show people what I’ve been working on and stuff. I mean, it’s always my thing to just work on certain things and get better. And I feel like shooting 3s, I’ve gotten so much better shooting.”
The Last Word
Even if Kuminga doesn’t get the starting nod, he should get plenty of time at both forward spots. While Kuminga wants to start, he has been more efficient off the bench. Meanwhile, this past season was the first time Wiggins came off the bench. Wiggins did score the ball as a reserve, which could help the Warriors offensively, but he was a disaster defensively.
Regardless of who starts, expect Kerr to play Kuminga and Wiggins together, even though the pair was awful together last year. When Kerr decides to go small, those two and Green could make up the Warriors’ frontcourt.
“Draymond’s always going to be Draymond,” Kuminga added. “I could play with Draymond. I could play with anybody. So I don’t see anybody being in my way because I feel like we could all be on the floor at the same time.”
Who will Start At Small Forward?
I expect Kerr to go with Wiggins at least to start the season at the three. Kerr will want to show confidence in Wiggins after his poor 2023-24 campaign. Also, while Kuminga has super confidence, he hasn’t shown he can do what Kerr expect. However, Kuminga will get a chance to showcase those abilities during training camp.
