The Timberwolves Must Unlock Jonathan Kuminga’s Potential

The Minnesota Timberwolves filled their power forward vacancy by signing Jonathan Kuminga. It also adds post depth to a team that was thin after trading Julius Randle and Naz Reid. However, aside from the size he brings, little has been said about who Kuminga has been as a player and how he fits in Minnesota. Both questions are rather pertinent after the Golden State Warriors traded him to the Hawks mid-season, and the Hawks didn’t re-sign him this summer.

Up to this point in his career, Kuminga has been mostly talked about in terms of potential. He’s 6’7″, with a 7’0″ wingspan. He weighs 225 pounds and is a hyper-athletic, springy forward who displays the speed and quickness of a dynamic wing. He’s a former lottery pick whom the Warriors selected 7th overall in the 2021-22 draft, using the pick they received in the D’Angelo Russell trade with Minnesota.

On draft day, he was tantalizing, a player who could theoretically guard anything from point guards to small centers. Kuminga passed on playing in college to join the G-League Ignite and held his own against players with NBA-caliber bodies. He brought down 7.2 rebounds, scored 15.4 points, and dished 3.1 assists. He was a freak athlete with great size that could do it all.

But Kuminga became a trade chip after they drafted him. His name constantly circulated in rumors. He was the main prospect in any speculated superstar trade that would bring the star to the Bay Area to help Stephen Curry win another ring. His on-court play was inconsistent as a rookie. He played just 16.9 minutes per game in his first year on a Warriors team that finished 53-29. He scored 9.3 points per game, had 3.3 boards and 0.9 assists, while turning the ball over 1.1 times per game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGKHyl_7WiA

Kuminga struggled to find a consistent role, resulting in spot minutes during Golden State’s championship run. He played 8.6 minutes per game and appeared in 16 games. The vast majority of his minutes came in the 3 starts he had that postseason. Come the finals, though, he had fallen completely out of the rotation, getting just 7 total minutes across the six-game series.

Still, Kuminga showed enough in those playoffs to remain the blue-chip asset. In his three starts, he scored 17 and 18 points in second-round games against the Memphis Grizzlies, and 17 more against the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals. However, the Warriors didn’t move him in the summer following the championship.

In 2022-23, Kuminga’s minutes increased to 20.8 per game. He shot a career-best 37.0% from three and averaged 9.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists. He would average 0.6 steals and 0.5 blocks per game and limit his turnovers to 1.4 per game.

His play earned him 16 starts throughout the season. Still, just as in his rookie season, when the playoffs started and the pressure was on, the Warriors cut his minutes. He didn’t play at all in three games. He scored 10 points once in the 2022-23 playoffs and finished at a -23 plus/minus in his 61 total minutes across 10 games.

Still, in the summer of 2023-24, he again was linked to every star in the league as the prospect the Warriors could give up. His regular season play and career-best three-point shooting were this time enough to keep the intrigue alive. However, Golden State still didn’t move him.

The season would prove to be Kuminga’s best as a pro. He started 46 games for the Warriors and set career highs in minutes (26.3), points (16.1), and blocks (0.5). His 4.8 rebounds were an improvement, and the 2.2 assists helped move the offense. Unfortunately, though, Golden State lost in the play-in game, and Kuminga couldn’t showcase his skills in the playoffs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IwoFzZS0jI

At this point, he’s the lottery pick prospect that’s trending upwards. Kuminga got more opportunities to start, and he capitalized on them. Some of his advanced statistics showed that he still had flaws. However, at age 21, he seemed like a player that could still be a star. The rumors swirled again about him getting traded. Still, Kuminga started the 2024-25 season with the Warriors.

That season was arguably the worst of Kuminga’s career. His minutes per game dropped to 24.3, and he started only 10 games. Injuries and the occasional DNP resulted in just 47 total games. His shooting percentage dropped to career lows of 45.4% from the field and 30.5% from three. He shot just 66.8% from the free-throw line. Due to injuries, he would see his first real time in the playoffs this season and shoot 40.0% from three, performing well and scoring 15.3 points per game. That is, until Minnesota knocked out Golden State, and Julius Randle would impose his will on Kuminga.

Again, the trade vultures would circle in the offseason. Still, Golden State kept Kuminga, which arguably was the worst thing for him. He fell out of favor quickly with the Warriors in 2025-26, playing just 20 games before being sidelined by injuries; coaches’ decisions began to mount. Eventually the situation became untenable, and they moved him to Atlanta at the deadline, where he played in only 16 games.

Atlanta made the playoffs, and Kuminga struggled in his six appearances, shooting just 20.8% from three and 48.3% overall. He averaged 26.0 minutes per game but finished as a -56 overall in his minutes, logging just two of the six games with a positive plus-minus. The Hawks didn’t re-sign or offer Kuminga a deal this offseason, leading to his decision to join the Wolves.

Jonathan Kuminga is just as confusing as ever as a prospect. He’s still just 23 years old, which is younger than Terrence Shannon Jr. His size, speed, and athleticism are all still there. His wingspan is long, and he’s still an intriguing prospect.

However, for the first five years of his career, for every upswing there has been a downswing. For one reason or another, Kuminga has worn out his welcome on two NBA teams. The bet for the Wolves is that in their system, they can finally help Kuminga live up to that blue-chip potential.