Golden State Warriors X-Factor For The 2025-26 Season - Jonathan Kuminga

When the Golden State Warriors selected Jonathan Kuminga with the seventh pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, the vision was that the 19-year-old combo forward would bridge the gap between the team’s veteran roster and its future. Unfortunately, that bridge has seen some giant-sized potholes in it over the past two seasons. On some nights, he would play a key role, dropping 20 points in a variety of ways; on other nights, he struggled to get off the bench.

Signing a two-year, $48.5 million deal with a team option for the second year, it seems as though it is just a matter of time before the Warriors and Kuminga part ways. However, the explosive, athletic 6'8" forward is exactly the type of player the Warriors need. At just 23 years old by the time the season officially tips off, Kuminga’s raw talent and untapped potential could be the difference between another deep playoff run and an early exit.

With Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green, aged 35 and 34, respectively, known for missing time due to load management, injuries, and suspensions over the years, the Warriors and Kuminga are a great fit for each other. Still, it just doesn’t seem like either party knows it.

Kuminga’s explosive athleticism provides the Warriors' run-and-gun, finesse-style offense with a player who can attack the rim when their three-point shooting goes cold (a rare occasion with the Warriors). A career 50% field-goal average and 33% three-point shooter, Kuminga has averaged 15 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.2 assists over the past two seasons. If he can bump that point production to a consistent 17–19 points, anchoring the offense when the veterans rest games, Kuminga should be able to earn a stable role in Coach Steve Kerr’s late-season and playoff lineup.

Defensively, Kuminga possesses the versatility that modern championship-level teams demand. With lateral quickness and footwork that allow him to guard smaller players and upper-body strength that allows him to battle bigger forwards, Kuminga needs to improve his consistency to become the primary defensive weapon that the Warriors seek.

What makes Kuminga an X-factor for the Warriors this season is his ability to shift between playing alongside the veterans or with the team’s younger players in a high-tempo, energy unit. If the team and Kuminga can get past the contract situation that dominated the team’s offseason, halting some key free-agent signings, they both might realize that they are made for each other.