This ranking means Kuminga must be a Warrior for life!….Or a great trade piece?!
You know what might be the most Warriors thing ever? Having a player ranked as the 83rd best in the entire NBA according to ESPN’s annual rankings, and that same player spending half the season wondering if he’ll get meaningful minutes in crucial games.
Think about that for a second. In a league with 450+ active players, Jonathan Kuminga sits in the top 18% of all basketball talent on the planet. And yet, we spent months debating whether Steve Kerr trusted him enough to close games or if the organization should trade him for veteran help.
Is that a roster construction problem? Or, per chance, is that an embarrassment of riches that most franchises can only dream about.
The Validation We Needed
When ESPN dropped their player rankings, seeing Kuminga at #83 felt like vindication for everyone who’s been banging the table about his potential. This isn’t some feel-good participation trophy or “future potential” ranking. ESPN evaluates current impact, and they’re saying that right now, in 2025, Jonathan Kuminga is already performing at an elite level despite the inconsistent role that would’ve driven most players to request trades by now.
Nothing better summarizes Kuminga’s roller coaster tenure with the Warriors than the final three weeks of his fourth season. Steve Kerr pulled him from the rotation before the playoffs because he was failing to fit with the new Jimmy Butler-infused rotation. Kuminga mostly watched from the sidelines as the Warriors snuck past Houston in the first round. But after Steph Curry’s hamstring injury, Kuminga was forced into second-round action and exploded into their leading scorer: 20.8 points on 54.3% shooting. That dichotomy further complicates a restricted free agency that remains unsolved. Kuminga’s personal ambitions were emboldened by his playoff performance, but the Warriors remain concerned about his fit when the full core is healthy.
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Remember, this is the same player who told us that most guys would have “QUIT AND NEEDED THERAPY” in his situation. Instead, he’s grinding his way into the upper echelon of NBA talent while navigating the most complex championship ecosystem in basketball.
The ranking validates what December 2024 showed us. Those back-to-back 30+-point performances weren’t flukes or empty calories against bad teams. They were glimpses of a player who belongs in elite company, who can produce at an All-Star level when given consistent opportunity and trust.
What This Means for Golden State’s Championship Window
Here’s the scary part for the rest of the league: the Warriors have a top-85 NBA player coming off their bench. When other contenders are scrambling to find reliable sixth men or searching for that one more piece to put them over the top, Golden State is sitting on a athletic marvel barely old enough to buy alcohol who’s already proven he can give you 30 points in playoff basketball.
Think about the championship math here. The Warriors’ “Big Three” of Curry, Green, and now Jimmy Butler gives them three elite players. But having Kuminga as your fourth option? That’s dynasty-level depth that makes opponents’ game planning nightmarish.
In theory…how do you prepare for a team where your defensive focus shifts from stopping Curry’s shooting and Butler’s two-way excellence to containing a #83-ranked player who can explode for 30+ on any given night? You can’t pack the paint against Kuminga without leaving shooters open. You can’t over-help on Curry without leaving JK in single coverage where his athleticism becomes devastating. IN THEORY THAT IS.
But here’s where it gets really interesting: if Kuminga is already #83 while fighting for consistent playing time and role clarity, where does he land with 30+ minutes per game and a defined offensive role?
The statistical projections are tantalizing. Players who average 24.3 PPG on 55.4% shooting in playoff basketball—like Kuminga did in those final four games against Minnesota—typically don’t stay at #83 for long. That’s borderline All-Star production, the kind of numbers that push players into the 40-60 range of these rankings.
What ESPN’s ranking really tells us is that Jonathan Kuminga has already arrived, even if the consistent opportunity hasn’t. He’s not a project anymore, not a player whose value exists solely in potential energy. He’s producing at a quality level right now, today, despite every obstacle the basketball gods have thrown in his path.
The beautiful possibility—the one that keeps Dub Nation dreaming about more parades—is that this might just be the beginning. If a rotation player can crack the top 85, what happens when that same player gets the keys to a consistent offensive role? What happens when December 2024’s revelation becomes the year-round reality?
Sometimes rankings tell us more about what’s possible than what’s already happened. At #83, Jonathan Kuminga isn’t just a valuable Warriors piece folks. He’s proof that this organization’s championship window remains wide open, powered by talent that most teams would mortgage their future to acquire. IN THEORY.
For a kid who went from the Congo to NBA champion to top-85 global talent, the next chapters of this story could be the most inspiring yet.
Category: General Sports
