When ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith claimed to have heard Jonathan Kuminga ‘short-changed’ the Warriors With his demeanor this summer, those who knew the 20-year-old best immediately defended him.
His coach Steve Kerr called the report “weird” and noted that he and Warriors general manager Bob Myers were surprised by it.
Kuminga Mentor Andre Iguodala openly refuted the allegations on his “Point Forward” podcast.
But Kuminga herself?he didn’t feel the need Addressing Smith’s comments at the time.
“I don’t even know where he got that information,” Kuminga told Anthony Slater of The Athletic. I don’t want to talk about it, it’s just wasting my energy.
“I don’t care what Steven A. or anyone says because he gets paid to talk about people. I don’t blame him. I don’t complain about it. After all After all, I know what I’m doing and what I’m not doing.”
Smith’s comments, which came out on an episode of “First Take” in August, said he was worried about Kuminga while praising Warriors youngsters James Weisman and Moses Moody.
“I hear too much about [Kuminga] You see the level of discipline he lacks in his head and off the court? Smith said. “Some stupidity… I’m talking about attitude, not behavior. What I’m talking about is attitude, level of focus, commitment, determination, just bow your head.” It is to work hard.
“I hear he’s disrespecting the Warriors for that. I’m a fan of Jonathan Cuminga, so he has to get his act together.”
While Smith is paid to entertain the public with his “first take,” Kuminga is paid to play basketball to the best of his ability.
Regarding Smith’s allegations during an appearance on “The TK Show” with The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami last month, Carr revealed that For the Warriors, Kuminga’s demeanor over the summer was no problem.
“JK had a really great summer. He did everything we asked him to do,” Kerr said. I’ve traveled a lot and he works really hard.”
Related: Kuminga, Iguodala Worth Hearing About NBA Youth Evolution
Cuminga appeared in five preseason games for the Warriors, starting two of them, averaging 10.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.
Kuminga is certainly on board as he prepares to open the 2022-23 NBA season when Golden State faces the Los Angeles Lakers at the Chase Center on Tuesday night. to prove his suspicions wrong.
