Jonathan Kuminga's 3-point barrage to end the third quarter in the Warriors' 129-117 win over the Toronto Raptors on Saturday at Chase Center not only surprised the crowd on hand, but also coach Steve Kerr, and teammates Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.
Speaking to reporters postgame, Kerr broke down how hitting the 3-pointer at a consistent rate can help Kuminga expand his game.
"That corner 3s a big shot for him," Kerr explained to reporters. "I think it's an effective weapon for him with his speed and explosiveness -- we know he can get to the rim and score.
"But if he can space the court and hit that corner 3, that's a big deal. I thought that was a big swing in the game when he made those free or four in a row."
Kuminga's 3-pointers to end the third quarter surely helped swing the momentum in the Warriors' favor.
Down 86-83 with just over three minutes left in the quarter, Kuminga scored 12 -- going 4-of-4 from 3-point land -- of the Warriors' final 15 points to give Golden State a 98-94 heading into the final quarter of play.
Curry accounted for the other three points during that span and noted the 20-year-old was "ready for the moment" and read how the defense played him.
"I told him that's a big momentum swing, not just the 3s, but the energy on the other end to put up a good defensive front and conduct the game on both sides," Curry said. "But those 3s were huge and gave us a lot of life going into the fourth."
Coming into the game against Toronto, the 20-year-old was shooting 28 percent from beyond the arc. After hitting 4 of 6 3-pointers Saturday, Kuminga's percentage increased to 31.9 percent.
Despite Kuminga's less-than-ideal shooting percentage from 3-point land, Thompson pointed out that Kuminga actually has a great shooting form -- he just needs to be consistent.
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"He made a midrange jumper, turnaround, the other game against Memphis where I was like, 'Man, that's dangerous when he masters that,' " Thompson said. "He just showed another element to his game that some may have doubted.
"But to get on the hot streak he did was very impressive and for that man, the sky's the limit for his talent."
RELATED: Kuminga taking giant steps toward immense NBA potential
With Kuminga proving to pundits that his work ethic is not to be questioned, Golden State's young forward is showing that he is slowly living up to his immense potential, one game at a time.
When the youngster finally reaches his true potential, what he can do on the court shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.
