On the ‘Small’ and ‘Short’ details of Jonathan Kuminga’s triumphant return

Kuminga looks good coming off of a severe ankle sprain.

Heading into this contest with the Sacramento Kings, everyone highly expected Steph Curry to be denied of any operating space whatsoever. The Mike Brown administration made sure of that through his copious doubles and traps whenever Curry touched the ball; Doug Christie went a step further than his predecessor by having defenders put hands on Curry off the ball, top-locking him away from screens, and skirting the line separating legal physical defense and fouling. That was a decree made even more paramount by the fact that Curry was only two threes away from 4,000 career three-point makes — a club he founded and, for the foreseeable future, will be its sole member.

The Kings did not want to be on the wrong end of basketball history, having previously allowed two pieces of Golden State Warriors history to occur at their expense (i.e., Klay Thompson’s 37-point quarter and Curry scoring 50 points in a Game 7 against them — the most in any Game 7 in NBA history). In that regard, they profusely top-locked Curry, with Keegan Murray being tasked as Curry’s primary defender. Suffice to say, Murray made sure to stick to Curry like white on rice:

While Murray and the Kings made it their exclusive focus to keep Curry away from offensive involvement, something was brewing under their noses. In the process of Jimmy Butler bringing the ball down, Kerr was conspicuously calling out the play for the Warriors to run:

Kerr’s play call for “Small” triggers Curry to position himself in the middle of the paint in spite of Murray’s top-locking physicality, as opposed to when he typically sets the “inverted” screen higher up, near the top of the key. If Draymond Green was a dangerous pull-up shooter, the latter scenario would’ve been justified. But setting the screen lower allows Curry to catch Jonas Valančiūnas — paying little heed to Green and the prospect of him pulling up for a jumper — unawares.

Note the angle of Curry’s screen — almost parallel to the baseline, “flat,” and rendering Valančiūnas unable to do anything against the pick (fouling Green in response), with Murray’s reticence to switch off of Curry being used against him:

These doses of “Small” possessions, as previously written by yours truly, have been run for a plethora of wings bigger than Curry — hence the “inverted” nature of the pick-and-rolls. Green’s ability to handle the ball and recent willingness to score has also qualified him to be the ball handler in “Small.”

The timely return of Jonathan Kuminga reinserts another weapon for Steve Kerr into the equation — one that can pressure the rim, get to the line, and benefit off of Curry’s inverted ball screens. With Kuminga on the floor, Kerr calls for “Small” anew:

Having moved chess pieces around the board, the Kings assign a different defender to Curry. Like Murray before him, Ellis stays close to Curry as if his life depended on it. Murray, meanwhile, draws Kuminga as an assignment. Having called out “Small,” Kerr elects to put the ball in Kuminga’s hands and have him bring the ball down, in preparation for Curry’s incoming ball screen.

Unlike the first instance, there’s a switch — which enlightens the rationale behind the change in defensive assignments. Murray switches onto Curry, with Ellis switching onto Kuminga. Curry finds himself right where he started: matched up against the taller, lengthier, and a rather pesky defender in Murray.

However — while Ellis is no slouch himself when it comes to defensive capability — he gives up two inches in height and 35 pounds in weight to Kuminga:

The element that was missed with Kuminga’s absence (and somewhat reappeared with Butler’s acquisition) was rim pressure — the ability to bend defenses through the threat of drives, cuts, and finishing with a layup or dunk, two of the most efficient ways to score in a game of basketball.

While Kuminga’s brand of rim pressure is somewhat one dimensional and rote in the sense that many expect him to force the issue and few expect him to create for his teammates off of his rim pressure, perhaps Butler’s tutelage will have an impact on his development with regard to the latter.

There was, perhaps, a brief flash of that development tonight:

Kuminga is still a weapon the Warriors are uniquely in short supply of, in the same vein as the skill set that Quinten Post provides — another archetype the Warriors aren’t exactly in abundance of. Kuminga’s value remains additive, despite the Warriors excelling during his absence.

“You need that athleticism, you need that force that he plays with,” Draymond Green said after the game. “We’ve been in a groove, but I don’t think there’s a soul in this building that thought just because we’re in a groove we didn’t need him back. We needed him back in a major way.”

Whether that athleticism or force shines through his on-ball exploits or off-ball activities, Kuminga is very much a piece that completes the puzzle. On the latter, his ability to finish possessions off of created advantages up front is and has been key.

For example: take note of “Short” action, in which the Warriors create a different passing angle for the roll man after setting a ball screen for Curry — one that often results in two defenders jumping out at Curry.

Unlike the version against the New York Knicks above, “Short” action against the Kings saw more help come Gui Santos’ way, due to Kuminga and Green occupying both corners. In that regard, Malik Monk saw an opportunity to get in Santos’ way when he receives the pass from Green.

Aided by the subtle positional exchange between Kuminga and Moses Moody — who slowly saunters his way to the wing, bringing Murray with him in the process — Kuminga acts upon the space created by Monk’s rotation toward Santos. Murray attempts to cover Kuminga’s cut, but he turns his head toward Moody for a brief flash, knowing that Moody is a threat to shoot from that range:

That slight head swivel by Murray is enough of a split-second moment for Kuminga to beat him to the rim:

Kuminga’s triumphant return (18 points on 10 shots) was marked by the ease through which he acquired his points, almost as if he was sleepwalking his way toward his buckets. It also served as a microcosm of the predicament the Warriors put the Kings in. Two of their objectives — 1) don’t let Curry dictate terms on offense at all costs; 2) dare non-Curry Warriors to score — didn’t go according to plan.

Furthermore, they could not prevent what they wanted no part of whatsoever: become another footnote in a piece of Warriors — and for that matter, NBA — history.