(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
The Golden State Warriors have found themselves in the NBA’s play-in tournament, which is not what they expected heading into this season with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green all healthy.
Their matchup in the play-in against the Sacramento Kings represents a familiar foe, as the Warriors knocked the Kings out in the first round of the playoffs last year.
Green went on his podcast and said the Warriors’ X-factor for this game and this postseason is Jonathan Kuminga, saying he “brings a different flair to our team” and that he “makes us more athletic,” via The Volume.
.@Money23Green tells us the X-factor for the Warriors pic.twitter.com/FNUjBxOX89
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) April 16, 2024
Draymond praised Kuminga’s ability to get downhill and finish around the room and believes he is imperative in this matchup since the Kings are a young athletic team.
Kuminga took a massive step forward this season and averaged 16.1 points per game, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game on 52.9 percent shooting, which were all career highs.
He has averaged at least 18 points per game in each of the last three months since he entered the starting lineup more consistently, and it’s clear the Warriors are developing a pivotal piece of their next generation in the post-Steph/Klay/Draymond era.
The Warriors are the No. 10 seed and in order to grab a first-round matchup in the playoffs against the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, they will have to beat the Kings in Sacramento and then beat either the Los Angeles Lakers or New Orleans Pelicans, the winner of the 7-8 play-in matchup.
Kuminga will be a tough matchup for the Kings, who struggle with rim protection.
The post Draymond Green Names The ‘X-Factor’ For The Warriors appeared first on The Cold Wire.