Jonathan Kuminga has wasted no time making his case in Minnesota.
For a player whose career has often sparked debate about role acceptance and team fit, Kuminga has opened the season with the Timberwolves looking exactly like the kind of piece a front office wants to keep around. He’s not just blending in - he’s checking boxes. The corner 3 has been falling, the rebounding has held up, and his defense has looked sharper and more locked in than it has at other points in his career.
That’s the kind of start that changes conversations fast. If this level of play sticks, Minnesota’s long-term thinking gets a lot simpler.
Kuminga’s offseason move was a clear bet on himself. He signed a deal a little above $6 million for one year plus a player option, passing on more money from other teams, including the Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls, because he felt Minnesota was the best place for him to thrive. The plan was straightforward: prove he can be part of winning basketball now, then hit free agency again next summer with a stronger case and a bigger payday.
So far, he’s delivering on that idea.
Through this season, Kuminga is putting up 12.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, and a career-high 2.6 assists per game. He’s also hitting a career-best 44.1 percent from 3-point range while taking a career-high 4.3 attempts per game. That kind of shooting has done plenty to quiet the old questions about whether he can really space the floor, and he’s been doing it while fitting cleanly next to Rudy Gobert.
The bigger picture gets more complicated when the offseason arrives. Gobert also has a player option, and Minnesota will have to navigate both situations while trying not to go beyond the second apron, unless players take discounts. That means the Wolves may eventually have to decide between keeping Kuminga or Gobert on a long-term basis.
Right now, Kuminga’s case is hard to ignore. Gobert is in his mid-30s, and his offense has already shown a noticeable decline this season. Kuminga, meanwhile, is 24 and lines up neatly with the rest of the Wolves’ core.
There’s also the depth factor. Gobert has Joan Beringer behind him, and Beringer has looked phenomenal. Kuminga doesn’t have anyone behind him in Minnesota that the organization is heavily invested in, or anyone clearly talented enough to take his minutes.
He arrived with plenty of uncertainty attached. A few weeks into the season, he’s making a strong argument that he belongs in Minnesota for the long haul.
In Other News...
Timberwolves-Rockets Turned Heated Again After Kuminga Sparked A Fracas
The Timberwolves and Rockets found themselves in another tense moment during a game that already had the feel of a matchup with some edge to it. Jonathan Kuminga became the center of the latest flashpoint when he struck Alperen Sengun in the face with his elbow while going up for a rebound, setting off a brief fracas and drawing the attention of everyone on the floor.
Officials reviewed the play and treated it as an excessive hit without making it a clear-cut case of intent, which kept the situation from escalating further. Kuminga stayed in the game and finished with eight points, five rebounds and four assists in 21 minutes, but the sequence added another layer of heat to a meeting that was already trending that way. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Showed The Kind Of Balance Fans Have Been Waiting For
The Timberwolves got the kind of win that can settle a team down a little, beating the Rockets 117-107 with a mix of timely offense and the sort of defensive pressure that has been easy to imagine and harder to sustain. Minnesota got contributions from several places, with LaMelo Ball, Ayo Dosunmu, Jonathan Kuminga and Rudy Gobert all helping the Wolves find a rhythm while also making life difficult for Houston on the other end.
Goberts presence around the rim was a big part of the story, as Minnesota repeatedly disrupted Houstons offense and kept the paint from becoming a comfortable place to work. Alperen Sengun and Kevin Durant each had their moments for the Rockets, but the Wolves were the more connected team for long stretches, and that balance is exactly what fans have been waiting to see show up more consistently. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Open Roster Spot May Not Change Much At All
The Timberwolves have opened up a roster spot, but it may not alter the rotation or the bigger picture much at all. Minnesota reportedly had planned to bring in Norchad Omier on a two-way contract, only for that agreement to go elsewhere, and the team has since waived Enrique Freeman, who spent last season on a two-way deal and got into four NBA games.
For a franchise that has historically used two-way players sparingly, the move fits a familiar pattern more than it signals a major shift. Minnesota has often kept those spots as developmental depth rather than a path to meaningful minutes, so even with the vacancy, the expectation is that the team will continue treating the back end of the roster as just that. [Read more 🡒]