[Source Article by ESPN’s Kendra Andrews – “‘Here to continue the same legacy’: Why Golden State’s youngsters just became so important”](https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/39236940/golden-state-warriors-trusting-young-players-amid-struggles)
*There’s a bunch of situational & statistical context Kendra added in the article (that should be free to access) if you want to read it. I’m just highlighting the quotes*
### Jonathan Kuminga sees “Two Timelines” & on what he sees he & the young guys’ role in it now:
> “**I see [two timelines] for sure**,” Kuminga said. “I’m **not going to say we are going to be Steph and Klay or Dray,** but I feel like we’ve gone through a lot to a point where we are going to make sure if there is an absence of anybody, it’s not going to show.”
>
> “We’ve all been going through certain lineups and certain substitutions, and that’s why you have young guys on the team,” Kuminga told ESPN.
> “When things don’t go our way, us young guys have the older guys helping us. When things aren’t going their way, that’s why we’re here.”
### Jonathan Kuminga has emerged as the Leader for the Young Guys:
> **Kuminga has taken it upon himself to be a leader for the Warriors’ young players**, drawing on his own experience of inconsistency to help the team get back on track. It’s a different mindset for a player following his postseason benching.
> “That’s what keeps me motivated. It keeps me patient every time. I have been through so much — not playing, then playing, then not playing,” Kuminga said. “Everything was just so inconsistent. **That’s what I always try to tell them: Things are always going to change.**
> “**At some point, they are going to want us to take this job. They are going to want us to help the older guys until it’s their time. Then we are here to continue the same legacy.**”
### Jonathan Kuminga on the game that solidified him into the rotation – Dec 6 Win vs Blazers:
> Jonathan Kuminga scanned the iPad in assistant coach Kris Weems’ hands before the Golden State Warriors tipped off against the visiting Portland Trail Blazers on Dec. 6. Kuminga, eyeing the night’s planned rotation and substitution patterns, searched the lists for his name. It wasn’t there.
> **”I wasn’t going to play at all. Zero minutes,” Kuminga told ESPN. “I’ve been through it the past couple of years. I have been here before. So, this one time wouldn’t phase me.”**
> But with less than five minutes left in the third quarter and the Warriors down 77-66 against one of the league’s worst teams, **Kerr turned to Kuminga**. He played all 17 of the remaining minutes of the 110-106 win. **Kuminga has remained in the rotation ever since**
> After Green’s suspension was announced on Dec. 13 and the team was sitting at 10-14, Kerr switched things up by turning to Kuminga. Kerr said it “felt right to reward him” after Kuminga’s performance in the Dec. 6 win.
### Moses Moody will be staying ready despite the DNPs:
> A clear message was conveyed to him at the start of this season, as one team source told ESPN: “Pouting wasn’t going to do [Kuminga] any favors this year.” It was a message also heard by other young players on the team, including Moody, who currently finds himself out of the rotation.
> “**When you’re not in the rotation as much, you have to develop some other stuff. It’s just one of those things you’ve got to do**,” Moody told ESPN. “When you’re not in the rotation, sure, you can pick not to stay ready, but then, guess what? You’re not going to be ready. You’ve got to do whatever it takes to keep it together.”
### Brandin Podziemski on what he believes the benefits of incorporating the young guys are:
> Podziemski and Jackson-Davis, the 19th and 57th picks, respectively, in June’s draft, were expected to have limited roles and spent time in the G League this season. “There [was] a realization factor of who is ahead of you,” Podziemski told ESPN. “Play if I can but have the realization that it may take some time.”
> “It’s not common to see young guys playing for the Warriors,” Podziemski said. “**Teams are used to guarding our play style, meaning Steph and Klay, and then I feel like the elements that me, JK, Trayce and Moses bring, it’s something different**. Other teams are like, ‘OK, wait — now they have this and that.'”
### Trayce Jackson-Davis wants to Expand his Passing Game:
> Kerr likened Jackson-Davis’ potential impact to that of Andrew Bogut’s, the ex-Warriors center on the 2014-15 title team who Kerr called a “master of dribble handoffs and driving to the rim.” “That’s something I want to expand on, the **passing, just knowing where guys want to be and where to give them the ball**,” Jackson-Davis said.
### etc.
> Kerr said that “there is a world where [the younger players] can start for the rest of the year.” But it’s a fluid situation, as evidenced by him switching up lineups. Kerr added he is still in the process of deciding his “top nine players” for a steady rotation, which will include Green when he fulfills league and team conditions stemming from his suspension and is reinstated.
by NokCha_
5 Comments
Kuminga is a good dude and a confident young player.
He came to America at 13 without parents. He still has some maturing to do but has came a long way in that department since his rookie season.
He is still younger than Steph klay and dray in his rookie season. He’s a year/ over a year younger than everyone in his draft class (including Franz
These quotes aren’t bad. And these players should believe in themselves.
Let them cook
😈
This is the first young group that’s been getting lots of playing time since Steph/Klay/Dray were first drafted.
This shows that he’s on board with the Warriors as long as he gets fair playing time. I wanna see Kuminga play 25 minutes per game or more.
Can’t wait till Kuminga inevitably wins over all the nonbelievers.
So proud of this kid!