The Coexistence of Stephen Curry & Johnathan Kuminga

In the fall of 2012, Stephen Curry was starting his 4th season in the NBA. At this point in his career, he was known as an intriguing young player with potential, but someone who has a questionable future because of injury concerns. Curry ended up playing only 26 games in the 2011–2012 NBA season. He played such a small amount because of multiple frustrating ankle injuries. These recurring injuries became an ominous cloud over the future of Curry’s career because he had surgery to repair torn ligaments in that same ankle at the end of the 2010–2011 season. During this tumultuous time, it seemed like Curry was just another highly talented player the Warriors drafted that would just end up like every other bright spot the franchise had the last decade or so: extremely tantalizing, but ultimately not enough to escape NBA mediocrity. But, Curry miraculously overcame these ankle injuries and ended up leading the Warriors to their third playoff appearance in twenty seasons and you know the rest of the story. In the current state of his career, he is a 3x NBA champion, 2x MVP, 8x All-Star, has the all-time 3-point record, and is currently the best player on another title contending team this season.

In the Republic of Congo around that same time, a child by the name of Johnathan Kuminga was given permission by his parents to walk alone to the basketball gym a couple miles away from his house. In an interview from an Uproxx article, Kuminga mentions that he was only given this freedom because he turned 10 years old. He grew up idolizing the late Kobe Bryant, who is the true embodiment of hard work, determination, and the will to become great. So in that light, it makes total sense that Kuminga would have been committed to walk any distance just to be able to play basketball and focus on improving his game. In 2016, he packed his bags and moved to America alone in order to finally jumpstart his basketball life. Kuminga rose as a talented high school recruit, becoming a 5-star prospect. Usually, prospects like Kuminga are offered full scholarships to elite college basketball programs, as he was able to get offers from Duke, Kentucky, Texas Tech, and Auburn. Instead, he chose to go straight to the pros in 2020 by playing for the G-League Ignite. The Ignite was a new project from the NBA G-League (the NBA’s development league) that allowed players who did not take the traditional path of going to college to play basketball and get drafted. It gave these kids a chance to earn money, play against better competition, and learn from NBA players. All of the extra hours in the gym and years of being away from his family were worth it. Kuminga fulfilled his dream of becoming an NBA player when we was drafted to the Warriors this past summer.

During the 2015–2016 NBA season, the Warriors won an NBA record 73 regular season games on the back of Curry, the unanimous MVP. In that same season, their owner Joe Lacob infamously said, “We’re light-years ahead of probably every other team in structure, in planning, in how we’re going to go about things.” Lacob has taken a lot of heat about that specific quote, but it is hard not to argue with him as the Warriors have been very successful recently. What is most interesting about the Curry and Kuminga lifespan is that they are connected through Lacob. He is confident that the Warriors can execute his diabolical plan: achieve NBA success by winning and building for the future at the same time. “Historically, I think in just being a fan of the NBA, I can’t recall the last time you’ve seen someone have success with that… but in saying that, that’s our situation. And so, you do what you gotta do to make that situation work”, is what Draymond Green said about Lacob’s plan when asked about it during training camp before the season. Lacob is trying to do it with two separate cores of players from two separate timelines. The original championship trio of Curry, Thompson, and Green is currently being infused with the young core of Kuminga, James Wiseman, Jordan Poole, and Moses Moody. The players of the young core were all drafted under the ownership of Lacob, so it is only natural that he believes in them more than anyone else in the organization. If there’s one thing we know about billionaire owners of sports teams, it’s that their hubris and arrogance can lead them to making drastic decisions. It’s clear that Lacob is not going to abandon this blueprint by trading them away for a star that can help them win more titles. Since his regime began, the franchise has seen the most success during his tenure than any other owner in the team’s history. which means every conceivable idea he has had for the franchise has worked more often than not. Is this the next item on the to-do list for Lacob? Only time, and plenty of basketball games, can tell.

As I have been watching the Warriors this season, specifically Curry and Kuminga, there have been certain aspects of both players that makes them such a unique pairing. As the season has been unfolding, it seems as though Lacob’s vision is coming to fruition. It is most likely that Kuminga will be the player that Curry eventually passes the imaginary torch to when his career is over. We’re still a solid five or so years away, barring any catastrophic injury or trade (You can never be so sure), from thinking about Curry retiring, but this season certainly has me comparing them more than I originally thought. Curry is actually having one of the worst statistical years of his career, especially if you compare them with what he has been doing the last 7 years. He will go down as one of, if not the most efficient scorer the league has ever seen, but this season does beg the question of whether he has lost a tiny bit of the magic he would produce almost every night the last half-decade or so. After winning six NBA titles, Michael Jordan did not hand the keys to Toni Kukoč. Even as Kobe Bryant’s hall-of-fame career was coming to an end for the Lakers, he would have rather traded all of his teammates than pass the torch (or the ball) to them. The Tim Duncan-Kawhi Leonard in San Antonio or the Dirk Nowitzki-Luka Dončić in Dallas pairings are probably more suitable to fit Curry and Kuminga’s timeline together. As Duncan was getting older, Kawhi Leonard became the Finals MVP in 2014 and quickly became the face of the Spurs. Duncan retired in 2016, just as Leonard was becoming a top three-type player in the league. Nowitski’s final year in the NBA was Dončić’s rookie season. What makes Curry and Kuminga so intriguing is that Curry is still playing during the latter half of his prime. He isn’t playing less games per season like Duncan, nor is he on his last legs like Nowitski. Curry is still undeniably the best player on the Warriors and is still heavily leaned on for them to have a realistic chance against good teams. There is still a realm where Curry and Kuminga can be the two best players on the Warriors while competing for a championship, especially with aging co-stars Thompson and Green and the increasing trust in Kuminga. Before this season started, a lot of NBA fans, media members, and players all said that the Warriors need to trade a package of their young core in order to compete for a title. As we sit here entering the All-Star break, they are contending for a title without having to make any changes, and Kuminga’s emergence is a big reason why.

As we preview Curry turning the corner into his mid-thirties, an age range where very few NBA superstars live to tell the tale, the parallels and contrasts between Curry and Kuminga are enhanced. Their upbringings were completely different, with Curry being the son of an NBA player, and Kuminga having to immigrate to America in order to pursue a career in basketball. Curry was the 7th pick in the 2009 draft. He is a 6’2 point guard with an historic shooting stroke, handles, and the unique ability to move off the ball. He has started a new generation of basketball players, one in which players of all sizes think they can take the same types of shots Curry can (with a lot more volume). Before Curry burst onto the scene, a 7'2 center would have been berated for shooting a 3-point shot. On the other hand, Kuminga was the 7th pick in the 2021 draft. He is a 6’8 forward with extraordinary physical tools. He can jump out of the gym, move faster than most players his size, and he can use his strength to bulldoze his way through guys like he’s the biggest kid on the playground. In an episode of Dubs Talk: A Golden State Warriors Podcast, Curry was asked about his thoughts on each of the young core. “JK… he probably has the highest ceiling, but his game may get way more polished as he goes through every year”, he said. Him and Kuminga cannot be any more different in their physical attributes, and Kuminga doesn’t turn 20 until this October. It is conceivable that he can grow an inch or two over the next year. Even though Kuminga has elite physical tools, it does not mean he does not possess fundamental basketball skills. Other than the highlight dunks we see on social media, there are little details of his game that have been pleasant surprises. He can make a dribble move to get by his defender and create a favorable angle to the rim. He plays stout defense even if he is still learning the tricks of the trade in terms of veteran offensive moves. His vision and feel for the game is more advanced than most people in the Warriors organization thought, and he has shown improvement in each game he has gotten the opportunity to play. Curry is a very selfless superstar. He is always willing to make the right play or pass up a shot, if it will lead to a win. The offensive system that head coach Steve Kerr uses does not work without Curry’s willingness to give up the ball and use the attention he demands as a shooter. Kuminga has all the characteristics of your typical NBA superstar. He has a freakish, uber athletic body and the confidence to go at anybody no matter who they are. “Growing up everybody watched LeBron. Going up and playing against him was… super cool”, Kuminga said with a coy smirk on his face after probably his best game in the NBA on an ESPN primetime Saturday night matchup against the Lakers last week. He is a breath of fresh air for the Warriors because they have never had someone with Kuminga’s combination of youth, physical tools, competitive spirit, and willingness to learn. Even with how different their games are, Curry and Kuminga both make brilliant plays on the basketball court, and it has been getting easier to imagine what they would look like together with a lot of games under their belt.

Their contrasting qualities as basketball players are actually what makes them such an incredible pairing because their skills and physical attributes can complement each other almost perfectly. With Curry’s perimeter game and unlimited range fused with Kuminga’s athleticism and relentless drives to the rim, they have the potential to create a wonderful basketball synergy on the court. Star players can have all the skill in the world, but if they don’t fit together on the court, then there’s ultimately a ceiling to how good they can be while playing with each other. Curry and Kuminga’s skills fit with each other like peanut butter and jelly, and with enough time together on the court, I’m sure they can figure out a way to coexist in a prosperous way. It’s happening right now as Draymond Green has missed the last 20 games, and still won’t be back for another couple of weeks after the All-Star break. Prospering was the only thought on Joe Lacob’s mind when he decided to draft Kuminga and continue the youth movement in Golden State. Both Curry and Kuminga will be in attendance in this year’s NBA All-Star weekend in Cleveland, with Curry in the All-Star Game and Kuminga in the Rising Stars Game (due to a Chris Duarte injury). I’m sure Kuminga would rather be playing with or against Curry in the All-Star Game, but he will just have to wait his turn, just like Curry did early in his career due to his injuries. And also like Curry during his ascension into superstardom, all Kuminga needs is the opportunity to show why he is a part of this transcendent generation of the NBA and why he deserves to be passed the torch.