GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS MEDIA CONFERENCE

April 17, 2024

Jonathan Kuminga

Media Conference

Q. How do you view this season kind of as a whole for you personally?

JONATHAN KUMINGA: I view it as an, I would say, a great experience. A lot of learning lessons.

Q. Where do you feel like you grew and where do you feel like you kind of need to improve?

JONATHAN KUMINGA: I think I grew, not basketball related, just as a person. Just being the person I am when I'm not playing basketball around all my teammates and my coaches. I would say, improving-wise, just coming back next year perfecting all the small things that I tried to do this year to just get better at every little detail that I did this year and most of the stuff that I went through this year just to get better at it.

Q. You're extension eligible this summer. How do you view those conversations and your future here?

JONATHAN KUMINGA: Oh, wow, I never, I didn't even think of that. That's just something I think my agent going to be working on it. Right now I'm just going to focus on my mental and my body and everything will handle itself.

Q. I was going to ask about that extension eligibility, but how much of a priority for is it for you to stay with this organization in the long-term?

JONATHAN KUMINGA: I love it here. I love it here. Like I said, I love it here and the rest of the things are going to figure themselves out.

Q. What was the biggest challenge in that personal growth that you talked about?

JONATHAN KUMINGA: It was more about communication. Communication is, I think it's the key to everything, no matter how that communication come out, but there's definitely got to be a better communication. I think that's, that was the biggest growth. And I just spoke to Steve not too long ago, we had a couple good communication this year and he told me that's the most thing he was proud of me, besides basketball, like that was the biggest thing he was really proud of me about. Just being able to communicate with him and communicate with my teammate better and the staff.

Q. Andrew Wiggins said he sees an All-Star season coming for you what do you think about that and how soon that goal for you maybe?

JONATHAN KUMINGA: I mean, it's just all going to depend on how I take this summer. It's just going to come down to how I go through this summer. Because anything is possible and I feel like I could do it, going through next year, it just all comes down to what type of summer I'm going to have.

Q. How much more solidified do you feel like your place is here in the rotation, what your minutes, your role will be next year than maybe it was a year ago?

JONATHAN KUMINGA: I also think it will be much better compared to all the years I've been here. I feel like my first year was okay. Second year was better. My third year was way better than the second year. And obviously, like I just said, it's just going to come down to what I'm doing this summer. Because at the end of the day if I get better it's going to even help me to be on the floor more.

Q. Following up on that question, in a basketball sense, how ready do you feel you are to take even another step next year and specifically as a scorer, because when you stepped in the scoring lineup your scoring increased, you found different ways to score, the mid-range and whatever, how ready do you feel you are to bump that up even more to 18, 20, whatever, next year?

JONATHAN KUMINGA: I would say I'm very ready. I'm confident the work that I'm going to put in this summer to come back and be that guy that they're going rely on sometimes. Like I said, I feel like I'm going to be ready for anything, any moment or anything that's going to be there for me.

Q. You mentioned about communication, so I'm curious why you made the decision to walk into the coach office to talk with him?

JONATHAN KUMINGA: I mean, sometimes people don't know you if you don't speak. Sometimes people don't know what's going on in your mind if you don't actually get to see it. Like it's the same way I don't know what's going on in my coach's mind if I don't get to ask them questions, and questions is communication. It's the same way as you guys here asking me questions about everything or about basketball or about my life, I mean, y'all wouldn't know if I didn't communicate with you guys. I think that's the biggest thing. That's pretty much what I had to do and learn and just be myself and find a way to communicate with my teammates, my coaches and everything else.

Q. When people think of the Warriors obviously the first thing that comes to mind is Steph, Klay and Draymond. And there's some question about how much longer those three can stay together or will stay together. But with what you saw with the younger guys, you, Trayce, Brandin, Moses. How encouraged are you about the future with this team with that group of young guys?

JONATHAN KUMINGA: I'm very excited to see, because I know we got, like you said, everybody else, Moses, Trayce, BP, I think it's a great core that, if we stick together, we can do big things. I'm really excited to see how it all comes out, because I'm very excited to just keep growing with those guys around me. Hopefully we can make it happen like Steph and Dray and Klay, but I'm very excited, I'm looking forward to that.

Q. I think last year in this interview you mentioned rebounding as something that you were kind of trying to prioritize heading into the summer. Is there a specific area of your game that you're focused in on?

JONATHAN KUMINGA: I'm just focussed, I think I'm going to just focus on expanding more of things that I'm doing already. I feel like it's going to be more, even get better at shooting. Just try to be a full complete player.

Q. With your shot, how good are you feeling about it and are you trying to get it to a point where defenses really kind of fear the three?

JONATHAN KUMINGA: I mean, definitely, like I said, complete player is pretty much being able to be a two-way player coming into next year season.

Q. How do you feel about your season defensively?

JONATHAN KUMINGA: I mean, I felt great. I actually think I got better compared to the years I've been here. I feel like I got more smarter on defense.