Jonathan Kuminga Has High Praise for New Timberwolves Teammate LaMelo Ball

Forward Jonathan Kuminga spent five seasons finishing plays in the Golden State Warriors offense while point guard Stephen Curry broke down defenses with his shooting.

Playing next to one of the greatest scorers in league history gave Kuminga a standard for what a point guard can do for a team, and that standard was not easy to clear.

So when Kuminga compared point guard LaMelo Ball to every other playmaker he has worked with this summer, the weight behind it was obvious.

"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 during his introductory press conference with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Ball averaged 7.3 assists per game across six seasons in Charlotte and has always been at his best when athletic finishers are filling the lanes around him.

Kuminga fits that description, and the early connection between the two during summer workouts has the front office thinking the pairing can work from the start of the season.

The Timberwolves acquired Ball in a four-team trade this past June with the understanding that he would run the offense while guard Anthony Edwards handled the scoring, and the early returns from the practice facility have backed up that plan.

Kuminga is not walking into a bare roster.

Forward Jaden McDaniels averaged 14.8 points on 51.5 percent shooting last season and gave Minnesota one of the more versatile defensive wings in the Western Conference, and his presence alongside Kuminga gives the Timberwolves two long, switchable forwards who can guard multiple positions and still score in the paint.

Guard Donte DiVincenzo played all 82 regular-season games while shooting 37.9 percent from three and averaging 12.2 points, and his shooting if he gets healthy, gives Ball the room to find driving lanes and make the passes that Kuminga is already expecting every time they share the court.

With center Rudy Gobert anchoring the defense and Edwards carrying the offensive load, Ball can focus on setting up teammates without the pressure of creating everything by himself.

The difference between Golden State and Minnesota for Kuminga comes down to how the offense creates shots.

Curry's shooting warped defenses so completely that off-ball players could find open space without ever needing a traditional pass, but Ball runs a much more direct style of playmaking that rewards cutters who get to the rim before the defense can rotate.

Kuminga averaged 12.5 points per game over five seasons but never had a consistent offensive role in Golden State's motion-heavy system, where the ball moved through screens and handoffs more than traditional pick-and-roll actions.

Minnesota is offering him that chance with a point guard who wants to throw the pass before the play breaks down and who has always been at his best when finishers are running the floor ahead of the defense.

If the connection between the two holds up once the real games start, the Timberwolves could have a frontcourt that opposing defenses were not built to handle.