Jonathan Kuminga has had an odd career since the Golden State Warriors drafted him seventh overall in 2021. His relationship with Warriors coach Steve Kerr grew icy as he never earned a consistent rotation spot, despite his obvious physical gifts and knack for attacking the rim.
The Warriors finally dealt Kuminga to the Atlanta Hawks at the trade deadline last year, giving him a fresh start ahead of unrestricted free agency. Kuminga recently signed a two-year, $12.4 million deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves, giving Anthony Edwards and Co. another athletic forward as they seek to make an NBA Finals push.
After playing with legendary point guard Stephen Curry in Golden State, Kuminga will share the court with another talented ball-handler in LaMelo
Ball. Kuminga, in fact, thinks Ball is better than Curry in one key area.
Did Jonathan Kuminga shade Stephen Curry?
During his introductory press conference with Minnesota, Kuminga praised Ball's passing ability and appeared to take a shot at Curry.
"I’ve played with so many point guards in my career but I’ve never played with somebody that can pass as good as LaMelo," Kuminga said.
Curry averages 6.3 assists with a 2.08 assist-to-turnover ratio for his career, while Ball sits at 7.3 assists and a 2.4 assist-to-turnover ratio. But while the statistics back up Kuminga's claim, they fail to acknowledge Curry has played much more competitive basketball in the Western Conference and spends a significant amount of time off the ball.
Kuminga has also yet to play a single game with Ball, so you'd think he'd save such a glowing remark for later in the year. Nevertheless, we'll see if Ball proves Kuminga right as the Timberwolves enter the season with championship expectations.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Jonathan Kuminga says LaMelo Ball is better than Stephen Curry in 1 key area
