Can The Warriors Win A Title If Jonathan Kuminga Is the #2
method it is a elitus test of like does that style of basketball play for eight months it doesn’t I I I don’t know I I I I would I would bet against it if I’m being honest with you I would bet against it and then not that Kyrie and him can’t work but in terms of the long-term view I don’t think you can have two players who are bald Donan and poor defenders in your back court I think one of the two has to be an athlete yeah and and that’s where I look at the Curry like who plays alongside Curry very important because I think whoever plays alongside Curry as much as hitting shots spacing the floor offensively can you lock up somebody in the half court and be an athlete I think moving forward too instead of luuka just having the ball and bringing the ball off the floor so much how do he cut down his usage rate I would put him down on the Block a lot more his postup game is very very good get them on the B post get them on the elbow and let him go to work instead of just being at the top of the key right three-point line now I know he’s a great he’s a solid three-point shooter not a great three-point shooter but a solid three-point shooter who could get hot with the best of them but I would put him down on the block his footwork is really good he’s got the fade away he’s got the step back get on the Block and get another guard in there who could play make for him and facilitate the offense a little bit better I think that’s mve forward for Dallas but you know when you talk about Steph Curry and who to pair him alongside and I’m thinking about Jonathan kaminga I’m thinking about kaminga going into his fourth season and look I would say he had a very good third season I think he showed that he could play in this league at a high level now how how high can that level get for Jonathan kaminga can he become that Defender like Jaylen Brown can he become a shooter like Jaylen Brown I think that when you look at Jaylen Brown I think that’s where kaminga needs to watch He’s 67 68 just like Jaylen Brown he’s strong and physical and you look at the way Jaylen Brown pays he’s got the nice little 10- foot midi uh the 10 foot the little mid-range jumper he can step out and hit the three kaminga I wonder if he studied Jaylen Brown at all I know he loves Kevin Durant he loves Kobe Bryant but if he could become any type of version of Jaylen brown maybe that’s the type of guy you pair with Stephen Curry I don’t know no it’s interesting you reference Jaylen Brown as a comp because I went and did a little Deep dive on Jaylen Brown’s career that thinking that I just thought he had more Runway early on in his career and I was actually wrong about that Jaylen Brown if you look at it 20 21 22 those were his first three years in League he averaged six 15 and 13 points a game and then he jumps up in year four where he starts every game of that season of the 50 this is the co year he goes up to 20 and he’s really never looked back since then 20 points a game 25 a game 24 a game 27 a game 23 a game and he’s become a perennial All-Star and I think with that perimeter defense and all those other things that we’ve talked about he’s added more dribbling he’s not the greatest dribbler but more he got better he got better he has got better he’s added that to his game to me his tenacity uh tenacity on on on defense is excellent and his ability to not accept the switch that was the thing to me that really stuck out like no no no I’m going to fight through this screen and I’m staying with Luca and I am taking this on to take that same leap they need to carve out the minutes and they have to allow the growth for kaminga cuz the scoring is already there the athletic ism is there now it’s consistency and the tolerance level of the others around him and the head coach to let him kind of figure it out on the Fly I’m looking at his shot attempts Jaylen Brown his first three years five shot attempts his rookie year 11 shot attempts his second year and 11 shot attempts his third year then it jumps up to 15 19 18 2018 I can recall back at Oracle Arena Celtics came in to beat the Warriors one night they had Avery Bradley they had Isaiah Thomas and had a young Jaylen Brown he could have been a rookie that year and remember he got into it with Stephen Curry he was defending him Steph Curry hit a three in his face and they started chirping they started chirping I remember the Celtics talking about it after the game was like well for was Avery Bradley they wouldn’t talk like that or what not but the young Jaylen Brown was finding his way early on in the Celtics early on with Brad Stevens when he was a head coach there would put put Jaylen Brown on top offensive players even as a young player so he’s been the trial uh trial by fire for Jay lebrown as a as an elite defender’s been going on for a long long time and to see the evolution of his game because remember he was picked number three uh a year before Jason T got picked third third overall by the Boston Celtics and Jay Brown was a project coming out of cow it was a project you didn’t know what he was did a two is he a three how’s this game going to translate d a really took a shot at him I remember was very controversial when I took him number three overall athlete first you know not not the skill player let mean very similar to kaminga In terms of of you’re getting a raw athlete you know and you going have to mold that guy into it and and I think one of the things that is hard to not unsee is kaminga like Jaylen Brown they crash into people you know they just do and they have such a broad shoulder chest area Jaylen Brown would get picked and and sometimes run into someone get a charge or whatever he’s really like he’s tapered that off in the last couple of years that’s like that like kaminga calling card is crashing into people well I I think kaminga though if he studies Jaylen Brown as a template and maybe it’s not Jaylen brown maybe it’s other players well I’m looking at Jaylen Brown last night J Brown and just saying wow cuz you’re talking about the 30 million with the extension with Jonathan kaminga and I think it would be a bargain because I do think if he has the runway and the ability the green light to do what he does offensively he’s going to score 20 to 25 a game we saw him score 20 once he got run once the calendar flipped in 2024 it was basically a 20 point per game score that’s nothing and getting to the free throw line but how do you evolve how do you involve others how do you pass how do you have the feel of the game when do you go ISO one thing that Donson always did with Tim Hardway Senor was hey Timmy I know you can get your shot at any point and kaminga is getting to that point where he could get his shot at any point of the game he’s not quite there yet but he’s getting closer closer and closer but when Tim arway Senor had it Don Nelson would tell Timmy Senor hey man pass it around first ball will get back to you and then you go but first let’s work it around to see what’s going on because I know you can get your shot and that’s where kaminga has I think has to get a better feel of the offense especially to read react no one to go ISO no one to go try to dunk on somebody’s head feel the game out a little bit more and he’s getting closer and closer to doing that here’s where I think it’s difficult all that makes a lot of sense and I agree with a lot of the stuff we’re talking about here but you can’t go into next season and kaminga to be the potentially be your number two player that that that just might have to be your number three no I I no that’s what you want I mean in terms of of scoring in the half court right that’s most people would say that that’s not getting much done got to see it right I mean what what is obious obviously you have to see the rest of the roster yes but I’m saying like if you’re rolling out like in terms of a number two score which has been one of their problems I think he can be a number two scorer but like the beauty of a team like the Boston Celtics like true holiday anything you get offensively is like gravy you know porzingis can can be on any given night your second leading score or your fourth leading score right they Derek white can be your second leading score or your fourth leading scorer on a given night so I I like they don’t have enough punch outside of Steph to just say kaminga be our number two if they had another not that easy it’s not that easy to just be the number two but I I think we’re so help having that Bight co-star blah blah blah kaminga why couldn’t he do it offensively not mrig not mrig because at times last year offensively he was your number two scorer hell en Joy M greed said it he’s our second best player right now but that was and they had their best stretch of basketball last year when he was doing that okay but again you’re rolling into a just hypothetically and I don’t want to play consequentialist here but you’re rolling into a into a into a some sort of a playoff matchup against Minnesota or Denver just right now I it’s hard for me to Envision you knocking one of those teams off with JK as your number two in the half court offense that’s all it it depends it also depends on what the rest of the roster looks like right now if he’s playing with other like I on this current roster yeah you need to make changes you need to make changes out is going to be our three and we can trust them but no I’m working under your assumption that the Warriors aren’t going to make big moves that I agree with I or at least try to make big moves and the Big Move may not be what we all think like oh a big move you’re gon to go get a top 15 player no no no no no no no no no no no it but it I do believe it will look different how do you build a team around Steph you still have Draymond Green I don’t think Draymond green going anywhere and then you have the clay decision again as of now folks the Warriors can negotiate with Klay Thompson they can negotiate with Klay Thompson right now on a new deal that was uh that opened up at midnight last night midnight so they’re if right now they could talk to Klay Thompson and work out a new contract they could also negotiate with the player on the roster that is rookie extension eligible can also negotiate with Steph Curry if you want to give them a veteran extension as of July 6 so a lot of things going on what is not allowed is you can’t negotiate with a free agent not on your roster that can’t happen until June 30th at 3:00 West Coast time um announcing publicly that a team and free agent have reached agreement on a contract the first allowable date is July 6th at midnight a minute after midnight as should say East Coast time and in violation of the rules you can get fined up to $2 million for fit draft picks or suspension of Team Personnel so right now the Warriors can talk to Klay Thompson do you think uh well there’s another guy with right now it sounds like they’re negotiating with Chris Paul as to whether they’re going to work out so like basically he has $30 million that they can guarantee by June 28th which is 10 days from now but they’re trying to negotiate it some sort of a provision in the Clause to extend it out so they could explore trades and then figure that that way he gets his 30 million cuz Chris Paul wants that 30 milon I don’t know how many teams are giving him 30 million he wants that million and he wants to be able to kind of control where he goes so they’re trying to figure that so that that’s another element of what’s going on right now cuz like I’m looking at that Chris Paul 30 million and if they choose to use it and they could find some sort of a trade partner I mean there are guys out there that you could work out some sort of a sign and trade you know like Nick Claxton dear J rozan kcp Royce O’Neal these are other potential free agents that are being that are looking for certain money that again these aren’t the sexiest names no no but sour I’ll say something about nicoo Collins in Brooklyn sourc just tell me that Brooklyn is not going to let him on Nick CL Nick claxon I mean who’ I say who I says I said niiko Collins from Texans did you say niiko Collins uh Nick Clon yeah Nick okay that’s good to know all right because he’s looking for like four in 100 I’m like that’s a lot of money um the the Suns situation is I don’t think Chris Paul’s going to the Suns but Royce O’Neal is a solid role player he is he’s just a solid role player but they can’t sign anyone for more than the minimum if they don’t sign him because they’re so this goes back to we’re not the only team in kind of luxury cap hell here the suns are as well so the suns are in a very weird spot they’re a team that could either keep everything together and and keep a royce O’Neal or they could be moving guys Booker or Durant or something who knows maybe Bradley Beal there’s just so many options I think it’s going to be chaotic in in the NBA I I don’t know if the sons are going to trade Booker that’s the one guy you don’t trade if you’re going to move off somebody either bill or or Durant I don’t think the old guys like I don’t think they’re sha de Booker wild that would be asinine always been a guy that I thought love I would too and he’s looking for 20 to 25 million he has a player option for 15 million that he’s probably going to decline rumors are that he’s searching for somewhere in the range of four for 97 yeah he wants big money now he’s a guy like if you just watch the playoffs the last four or five years he’s a contributor I he’s streaky in terms of offense two what you pay for him for defense you pay for him to guard the STS you pay for him to guard the you pay for him to guard the top offensive player he’s a little bit he’s not for four for 97 I don’t like him that much I’m with you there I that much but I like him I don’t like him for that much looking at what like again this is where we’re like kind of where the Warriors are you’re either going to overpay for somebody in some weird trade scenario or you’re getting a player with some flaws so like it’s it’s not going to be these perfect players no it’s not it’s not so I’m I’m going to check him off well no I just you know sources told me in Brooklyn that they’re really high on him they’re really high on him um what about the Rosen you know like I think replacing clay whoever replace if if that ends up happening that person is is going to be through the micro microscope well it’s interesting with Clay I this is what I went through my head as soon as the window open last night one is Clay’s phone on do not disturb is it on silent is it loud is the ringer on who’s his agent uh the waserman group somebody from the waserman group which is uh Bob Meers former agency so the waserman group so where’s Klay gonna be at you know we were talking about klay’s defense and everybody talks about his defense and the way he has to play defense is he needs know he needs the out of he needs the sideline he needs the Baseline he needs the out of bounds he needs to use angles and he needs run protection so he can funnel his player into a shot blocker or you know a guy who could really contest your rim that’s where Klay is at right now that’s where he’s at with his defense think about some of the two guards like Dan Marley our own very our very own Chris Mullen who weren’t locked down Defenders but they use their ankles they use the sideline they use the Baseline to help their defense and also funnel uh those players in the rim protectors and
Think of what Jaylen Brown is to Jayson Tatum. Can JK be that for Stephen Curry?
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