NBA Rumors: 5 prospects and trades Warriors must target with No. 7 pick
By John Buhler
3. Draft forward Jonathan Kuminga No. 7 overall out of the NBA G League
One prospect who should be coming off the board right around where the Warriors are picking is forward Jonathan Kuminga. The Congolese small forward was heavily recruited out of high school after he came to the United States back in 2016. While he had offers from Auburn, Duke, Kentucky and Texas Tech, Kuminga opted to sign a one-year deal with the NBA G League Ignite in 2020-21.
During his one year in the G League, Kuminga averaged 15.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 32.8 minutes of action. While those numbers are certainly something to work with, keep in mind that he only played in 13 games in the G League a season ago. In short, the 18-year-old prospect is incredibly raw coming out and it could be an issue for Golden State who will want to contend.
Then again, it is not like Wiseman played a ton of games for Penny Hardaway at Memphis before declaring three years early. From a developmental standpoint, Kuminga has the most upside of any player the Warriors could realistically take at No. 7. However, that may not be in line with this team’s competitive life cycle. Golden State could draft him, but he could also be dealt right away.
At 6-foot-8 and 210 pounds, Kuminga could become the next Luol Deng or Jeff Green in the NBA.