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Forum nameOkay Sports
Topic subjectObvious star potential... but I'm a little more hesitant than most.
Topic URLhttp://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=8&topic_id=2741470&mesg_id=2741581
2741581, Obvious star potential... but I'm a little more hesitant than most.
Posted by Frank Longo, Sun Jun-27-21 11:01 AM
Like, if you think Kuminga can shoot the ball, then he's an All-Star caliber talent. Terrific wing size, great strength and body control for his age. Scored most efficiently in the G-League on cuts and physical force, which is pretty impressive considering he's playing against players 5-10 years older than him. There's also his defensive profile-- on ball, he could potentially guard 1 through 4, maybe even small ball 5s.

That said, I don't love his skills at the moment. He's not a shooter right now, especially off the bounce, and he doesn't have the touch you'd think a prospect of his hype would have. Again, it's the G-League, so it's a huge step up in competition, but he shot under 40% from the field, under 25% from 3, and under 65% from the FT line. It's not like his form is completely broken, but he's just not a shooter right now. He's also not a passer at all, so... that combination of problems is a problem on offense. Incredible raw talent, but right now he's just a really good driver who can't shoot or pass.

Also, off ball on defense, he loses focus. He's pretty awesome on ball, but from the admittedly small sample size I have of watching him play, he struggles to stay engaged sometimes when the ball's not in his hand or when the ball's not in front of him on defense. So he allowed a bunch of back cut layups and things of that nature defensively, which... isn't great for a guy whose calling card really should be his defense at this point.

I still think you take him Top 6 or 7, because there just aren't a lot of players with his type of obvious star potential in this draft. And again, if you think he can shoot 3s at a 36% clip and FTs at a 75+% clip one day, then he's almost certainly an All-Star, because his driving ability is potent, and he'll have serious mismatches if teams can't just sag off him. But if you can't shoot, can't pass, and can't play team defense entering the league, then you're liable to see some real growing pains. Like, Scottie Barnes can't shoot, but I know he can pass, he can play team D, and he can play with consistent energy on or off ball. But you know, it was a COVID bubble and a jump to the G-League, maybe you have to take some of the struggles with a grain of salt. I don't know.