[95.7] Draymond on Kuminga: “I think he’s a three. That’s always been my opinion. To play the four, it requires a certain skill set. A certain knowledge and a certain understanding of that position to do that.” (followed by a 2 min rant on the misconception of positionless basketball) (4:03)
by NokCha_
@Golden State Warriors
13 Comments
[Source](https://x.com/957thegame/status/1841639114715889677)
Is bro unintentional throwing shade?
No shit. JK is a 3, Kerr is the only one who believes otherwise. Playing JK as a PF is putting him at a disadvantage but unfortunately Kerr doesn’t want to hear none of that.
Say it LOUDER Dray for the people in the back of this Sub!
Full transcript below. His extended diatribe about the misconception that size is the primary dictator of whether or not a player can play in the front court and how that leads to failing lineups is very very astute.
> **Dray:** I think he’s a 3. It’s always been my opinion. That’s not going to change anything. You know, to play the 4, it requires a certain skill set. You know, so often times, people approach the 4s if it’s not a position. You think, like, oh, I can just move a guy there, but it’s a position that you have to know how to play. It’s like, you know, you never hear… You don’t think anybody can play point guard. The 4 is the same thing. You know, it requires a certain skill set, a certain knowledge, a certain understanding and that position to do that. He’s never done it. So, can he adjust and learn that? I don’t know. Can a receiver learn how to be a quarterback in [I can’t for the life of me make out whether or not he’s says 2 years or 2 days following “in” but it’s one of those lol]?
>
> **Reporter:** So, is that type of nuance you think that’s lost in all of the positionless basketball talk?
>
> **Dray:** 100%. And that’s why you’ve seen teams lose stuff year after year. Because so many teams are like, oh, man, that guy’s Draymond’s size, or he’s bigger, so he can go do that. And no, he can’t. It has nothing to do with how good or not I am. I just know how to play that position. I know how to play the 5. I didn’t just end up being able to slide to the 5. Growing up, I played the 5 defensively and I played point guard offensively. So I know how to do that. But if I didn’t do that growing up, I wouldn’t just know how to do that.
>
> So for years, you’ve seen guys take teams, take a guy that’s a certain height and be like, all right, we’re going to put him at the 5 and then we get layup, layup, layup, layup, layup. And then they come down and they’re shooting bad jump shots. But I know how to protect the rim.
>
> So, yes, I think that is a part of what gets lost. You know, Kevin Durant. Kevin Durant is 7 ft. He’s not a 5. Couldn’t play the 5 if you wanted him to. Because he don’t know how. And that’s no shot at Kevin Durant, but he’s 5 sized height, right? But he’s not a 5, and if you try to put him at the 5, he’s going to look at you like you’re crazy. You put him at shooting guard before you put him at the 5. His skill set matches that more than it matches the 5.
>
> But around this league, not just here, you see that happen all the time. I think that’s why you see those lineups where people fail so often, because you have to know how to do it. It’s not just like, oh, I could just throw somebody there and that’s just going to work, it’s just not the case.
JK at the 3 is where he always should’ve been. Kerr just didn’t let em get busy. His handle looks tighter based off his workout videos and his jumper is yet to be determined. Cant go into this season with a wishy washy starting 5. If we are rolling with kuminga then he needs to be our 3. With Dray at the 4. Period.
man this starting lineup is gonna be tough assemble. If Dray cant play too many minutes at PF, and Kuminga is a 3, then where does Wiggins fit? Are we gonna go Steph, Wiggins, JK, Dray, TJD/Looney? Bc that spacing’s gonna be rough. Unless Wiggins and JK turn into knock down 3 point shooters
He’s spitting straight facts. JK doesn’t know how to play the 4. It’s not just body type.
He’s spitting straight facts. JK doesn’t know how to play the 4. It’s not just body type.
its an interesting response from dray, but id like someone to ask him if he can play as the only big with kuminga on the floor. seems thats the obvious reason youd put kuminga at the 4
I could listen to Dray talk the intricacies of this stuff all day.
It’s either gonna be:
1. Steph, Wiggins, jk, dray, TJD or
2. Steph, Melton/pods, Wiggs, Jk, dray
I personally think Kerr will start game number one with lineup 2, with TJD coming in within 5 minutes or so for whomever isn’t playing well. I also agree that Kuminga is best suited for the 3, so Kerr’s dilemma is legit and really exposes the fact that we have too many comparable sg/sf’s on this team and it’s going to be tough to keep them all happy and engaged the whole season.
Dray trashtalking Kerr for playing Josh Hart as a 5 LMAO