Can the Heat help this former Warriors lottery pick reach his potential?

Warriors wing wants consistency

The seventh-overall pick in the 2021 draft, Jonathan Kuminga has been frustrated with his role with the Golden State Warriors. He's lost faith in the Warriors, to put it more broadly. He's averaging 22.6 minutes, only three more minutes than his sophomore campaign.

Kuminga has yet to be able to shine in the Bay Area like he planned on. With some of the significant holes in his game, four-time champion coach Steve Kerr doesn't trust Kuminga. But you have to put players in a position to thrive. Exceptional architects know that each building requires different things.

The 21-year-old is flawed but has many strengths that Spo would maximize. Let's start with Kuminga's next-level bounce. He's an ultra-explosive athlete with a pogo stick stationary jump.

This play is otherworldly. Kuminga is standing on the block anticipating a lob from the playmaking big Draymond Green. Instead of just catching the lob and throwing it down, Kuminga gets in his bag and displays his 99th-percentile athleticism. That's abnormal vertical jumping.

It was a two-point game in the clutch when this freak play occurred. This shows us that Kuminga is used to making plays like this, and he's just a natural leaper, greeting the rim at eye level like he's about to blow at a cupcake like Gerald Green.

Poor Jayson Tatum is down in the paint, getting tossed around like a rag doll with Kuminga around. Kuminga bullied him to get into position to score and soared over him like a hawk searching for food to complete an emphatic dunk. Tatum was food for Kuminga that night. He made embarrassing an All-NBA player look easy.

Kuminga's athleticism and jacked build aid his finishing ability. His broad shoulders are bricked and rare for one who's only 21. His "man body" hasn't come yet. Still, he's a physically imposing dude. He shields off defenders using his body, absorbing bumps, and goes right through defenders.

He can get off shots around the rim from many different angles. Underhand layups, strength-based layups, pure blow-bys, reverse layups, off-hand finishes, and contact dunks are all in his arsenal. Kuminga is shooting an astonishing 75% at the rim; this number ranks in the 91st percentile amongst wings.