Jonathan Kuminga’s early work with the Minnesota Timberwolves has given the team a version of him that fits cleanly into a complementary role, and the passing has been a big part of that.
Kuminga has long drawn skepticism from critics who pointed to his playmaking as a weakness. Across his career, he has averaged 1.9 assists against 1.4 turnovers, and he had trouble making the kind of complex reads the Golden State Warriors’ system demanded. That concern had some real basis.
So far with the Timberwolves, though, the numbers have flipped in a major way. Through seven games, Kuminga is averaging 2.6 assists and just 0.3 turnovers. In all, he has 18 assists and two turnovers, good for a 9 assist-to-turnover ratio that ranks fifth in the league according to NBA.com.
That kind of efficiency has fit neatly alongside everything else he’s doing. Kuminga has been strong defending forwards, and he has given Minnesota an athletic finisher who can operate comfortably without the ball. The passing is just one more reason he has looked so effective in this role.
He has not been asked to run the show, and he hasn’t tried to force himself into that lane. The Timberwolves already have LaMelo Ball and other perimeter options, so what they need from Kuminga is simpler: make the extra pass, recognize kickout chances on drives, make the right decision quickly, and keep the turnovers down. He has done that.
There have been moments when he has initiated offense, and those possessions have gone reasonably well. But by and large, Kuminga has been a low-usage play-finisher. His 16.3 usage rate is the lowest of his career, and that lines up with the kind of player he is best built to be.
He cuts well off the ball, rolls hard to the rim, and brings real juice in transition. He can attack mismatches and create a little for himself, but he is not being asked to carry a heavy creation load, nor should he be.
What matters is that the play does not die with him. That is where the connective passing comes in, and Kuminga has supplied it with quick decisions and a willingness to move the ball along.
That quick processing has stood out most. Entering the season, there was reason to wonder whether he could make fast reads in the half-court, especially given his tendency to lean toward tougher shots.
Instead, he has quieted that concern and then some. Along with the improved playmaking, he has also cut back on difficult shot attempts.
Taken together, Kuminga has looked excellent in the role Minnesota needed from him. The defense, the shot selection, and now the passing have all pointed in the same direction. His sharp playmaking deserves to be part of the conversation about why he has fit so well with the Timberwolves.
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