For a rookie who has just entered the NBA, in their eyes, there are undoubtedly two paths that are the most preferred, one is to enter a weak team, so as to get a lot of opportunities, get exercise at the same time, but also be able to play beautiful data, so as to get a big contract. Another point is to be able to join the super team directly, and if you are lucky, you may be able to realize your dream of a championship at the beginning of your career.
However, for many rookies, joining a strong team also means few opportunities, after all, the lineup that has been formed will not change for a newcomer, and the Pistons' leader Dako Mirisic was exactly that.
However, everything isn't absolute, and for Jonathan Cuminga, who is only 19 years old, to get into the rotation of the powerful Warriors, he only took less than half a season. Today, he is already a high-quality substitute for Kerr's thunderous and promising to become the new helmsman of the Warriors after Curry, Thompson, and Green age. So, how exactly did he accomplish the counterattack?
1. Jump out of college and into the development league, he has outstanding talent
After graduating from high school, Cumminga made a bold decision when he chose to give up his college scholarship and go straight to the Development League to play in the pro league. You should know that he was not yet 18 years old at the time, and he was exposed to the professional league in advance, and it was likely that he would lose the great opportunity to enter the NBA. In a year of developing the league, he and later the leader Jaylen Green teamed together, averaging 15.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1 steal and 0.8 blocks per game in one season.
But efficiency is fairly average, shooting, three-pointers and free throw shooting rates of only 38.7%, 24.6% and 62.5%. This is the biggest drawback of the professional league, no one here will teach you at a glance, and will not let you contact academic basketball like a college campus, and the players in the development league want to get the opportunity to enter the NBA through personal excellence, there is little cooperation here, full of all kinds of singles.
Fortunately, However, Cuminga is young, and his talent is indeed quite tempting. The height of 2.03 meters can even reach the top of the 4th position in today's small ball era, and the weight has risen from 95 kilograms in high school to 100 kilograms, and the arm span of 2.1 meters is also completely sufficient.
In addition, he is quite physically energetic, not afraid of confrontation, explosive and bouncing power has the potential to become a star player, coupled with the speed and sensitive mobility of defenders. As a result, the Golden State Warriors, who held the 7th overall pick, did not hesitate to select this potential rookie.
2. Not adapting to the intensity of the NBA, back to the development league again.
However, even though Gui gui was once the first five-star high school student in the United States and entered the professional league early to familiarize himself with the intensity of the game, the young Cuminga still showed his discomfort with the NBA. Another more important point is that the Warriors played a very strong state at the beginning of this year, Curry continued the hot feel of last season, and Green dreamed of the "triple crown" era, even playing the top card player at the top of the arc, and the defense once again supported the entire Warriors system.
Wiggins also integrated into the Warriors' system, playing the performance of all-Star small forwards, coupled with the excellent performances of Poole, Payton Jr., Anderson, Porter, Bjlitsa and others, Cumminga has few opportunities.
On November 27, the Warriors officially released the news that Kuminga was sent to the Santa Cruz Warriors, and in the 12 games he played for the Warriors, he basically played garbage time, but even then he averaged only 3.1 points, 1.8 rebounds per game, and shot only 37.8% from the field.
As his draft report says, his offensive efficiency is very average, even bad, the choice of shots is irrational, and the control of the ball has not yet reached the level of the NBA, so decentralization is the only option.
3. He was called up again, this time he seized the opportunity.
However, after 10 days, he was called up again by the team, and this time Cuminga was fully prepared. In fact, in the two games of the development league, he played almost like a hand, averaging 24 points, 8.5 rebounds per game, and performance on the court, which shows that the development league has no challenge for him.
After returning to the Warriors, Cumminga began his own counterattack journey. On December 19, he got his first chance to start, and although the team lost, he shot 9 of 15 from the field and scored 26 points, and the offensive end was completely "eighteen martial arts", which gave Cole a new understanding of the young man. It was also from this game that he began to gradually enter the Warriors' rotation lineup.
What surprised Warriors fans even more was that Kuminga played even more brightly after entering February. So far, he has scored in double figures in nine consecutive games, averaging 15.4 points, 4.8 rebounds per game, and shooting a staggering 58.8 percent from the field. The 19-year-old's adaptation to the NBA can be described as a "monster", and his bombardment of the basket is even so intoxicating that it is difficult for opponents to completely restrain this young man.
So far in the season, he has also averaged 8.1 points per game in 14.7 minutes of playing time, which is quite effective, especially his shooting rate has reached 50.9%. And it must be said again that he is only 19 years old, and it is likely that he will be the core of the warriors' new generation in the future.