Otto Porter Jr. joined Grant Liffmann on the latest Dubs Talk where the two talked about what it has been like to go from competing against Steph Curry to now being teammates with the Warriors star.
Two months ago, it appeared that Jonathan Kuminga had played his way into a consistent rotation role for the Warriors.
However, the rookie's minutes have fluctuated wildly down the stretch for Golden State. Kuminga started the Warriors' March 27 loss to the Washington Wizards but was a DNP in the second half after 13 first-half minutes. He logged 34 minutes the next night against Memphis but then played just 10 total minutes in the Warriors' next two games before racking up 31 minutes Sunday in a win over the Kings.
But Kuminga is handling his inconsistent playing time with a level head.
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"You always got to stay ready for whenever your name gets called," Kuminga told reporters Sunday after the win over the Kings. "It's just the same as the beginning of the season. I wasn't playing a ton, then I started playing, and that's how it's going to be. You just have to stay ready and wait until your moment comes."
After spending the early part of the season on the bench, Kuminga came on when Draymond Green went down with a disc injury in his lower back. From Jan. 9 to March 14, Kuminga averaged 13.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game while playing 22.6 minutes per game. That included 21 games in which Kuminga scored in double figures.
The 19-year-old has oscillated between moments of brilliance and times of confusion on the court. Despite the erratic nature of his play from game to game, president of basketball operations Bob Myers believes the rookie wing will play a role in the championship hunt to come.
“You have games where, like a lot of rookies, he looks like he’s found it and he’s figured it out, then the next game he looks like a rookie. That’s what rookies look like, though, so in a playoff game, it might be that one game he wins you a game,” president of basketball operations Bob Myers said on "Warriors Pregame Live" on March 31. “And then Steve [Kerr] finds out in 10 minutes of another game, this doesn’t work. And it may be series dependent.”
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With just three games remaining in the regular season, Kuminga is making sure to soak up all the knowledge he can when it comes to the difference between the regular season and the playoffs.
"The coaches, everybody, they always talk about it out of the blue," Kuminga said Sunday. "So, you just have to listen. Especially when I get a chance to play in certain games with the speed against the good teams, I see it. After the game or at halftime, they'll be talking about, 'that's how the playoffs are going to be. That's the pressure. That's how a lot of the crowds will be like.'
"As a young player, you've got to open your ears and just listen to what people are saying and learn from that. That's basically what I have been doing pretty much."
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While his playing time has ebbed and flowed, Kuminga has stayed ready and attentive, knowing every minute spent around the Warriors' veterans is vital to his NBA education.
And his first playoff test is coming.