Kuminga Says Other Players "Would Need a Therapist" If In His Shoes

Jonathan Kuminga has had a rollercoaster run with the Golden State Warriors. This season, once again, he's bounced between the starting lineup and the second unit, while showing some flashes of his immense potential, including Monday night's 26-point, 8-rebound, 4-assist effort in a 111-105 loss to the Indiana Pacers. In each of the previous two games, however, he managed just 11 points and 4 rebounds.

Kuminga has now come out with some bizarre claims about his situation this season—one in which he's playing out the final year of his rookie contract and will be a restricted free agent at season's end.

Sometimes I start, sometimes I don't start. Don't really affect me… I'm used to it. From where I come from, you always got to be mentally tough.
A lot of people that are playing… if they were in my shoes, they'll quit basketball. They'll need a therapist. They'll go through a lot of mental situations.

As Kuminga suffers through the 'mental situation' of his $7.6 million expiring contract this season (giving him career earnings thus far of over $24 million at the age of 22), he says he's strong enough mentally to endure this so-called punishment.

"That thing don't affect me. As long as I go out here every day and just play, be with my teammates, [they] keep encouraging me to be who I am every day.”

The 22-year-old is averaging 25.4 minutes in his 26 games this season, down one minute from his average last year, starting 10 of those 26 contests. His stat line is 15.5 points per game, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists, pretty similar to last season, when he started 46 of his 74 games.

But whether the former 7th overall pick (2021 NBA Draft) eventually reaches his true ceiling as a full-time starter in Golden State, or elsewhere as a result of a trade, remains to be seen.

Either way, Kuminga makes it pretty clear that at least one thing he won't be doing is "quitting" or even going into therapy due to all the uncertainty of his place in the lineup.