Western Notes: Iguodala, Kuminga, Grizzlies, Rockets

After ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith claimed that Warriors guard Jonathan Kuminga hasn’t been focused, his teammate from last season, Andre Iguodala came to his defense, Tristi Rodriguez of NBC Sports Bay Area writes. Smith suggested that Kuminga’s actions and attitude have shown a lack of discipline this year.

“My young fella, I’m on his head,” Iguodala said on his “Point Forward” podcast, as relayed by Rodriguez. “He took some licks from Stephen A. I don’t know how warranted they were because from what I heard he been doing what he supposed to do this summer.” 

Kuminga, 19, averaged 9.3 points and 3.3 rebounds in 16.9 minutes per game last season, shooting 51% from the floor. It’s unclear exactly what Smith heard — possibly related to Kuminga’s work ethic or demeanor — but Iguodala seems to be confident in the second-year player’s progress.

Here are some other notes from the West:

  • Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal examines which young NBA cores may challenge the Grizzlies the most in 2022/23. Led by Ja Morant‘s stellar campaign, Memphis finished with the second-best record in the league last season, surprising onlookers. Among the teams Cole listed are the Timberwolves, who sport a trio of D’Angelo Russell, Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns — plus recently acquired Rudy Gobert from the Jazz.
  • In the second part of a series, Kelly Iko of The Athletic examined the results of his Rockets fans survey. Among the questions Iko asked was which Rockets player needs to take the biggest leap next season, with Jalen Green finishing first. Green averaged 17.3 points during his rookie campaign last season, shooting 43% from the floor and 34% from deep.
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