How Looney, Iguodala helped mentor Kuminga in rookie season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
When the Warriors drafted Jonathan Kuminga no. 7 overall in the 2021 NBA Draft, the teenager was coming into a situation where there were plenty of veteran players to show him how to be a professional.
Kuminga reflected on his rookie season while speaking with NBC Sports Bay Area’s Dalton Johnson on the latest edition of “Dubs Talk.”
The 19-year-old stated that although every veteran player was a mentor to him, Andre Iguodala and Kevon Looney played a significant role in his development last season.
“I would say pretty much everybody was my vet,” Kuminga told Johnson. “Mostly Andre and Loon, because they were the ones that were sitting next to me every time, you know, on the bench, and they’re the ones I really liked talking to every single day.”
The Warriors rookie then went into detail about learning from Iguodala, who has 18 seasons in the league under his belt. He likely wanted to pass his experience to Kuminga and the rest of the team, since some players had yet to experience a deep playoff run culminating in an NBA title.
“I mean, Andre got more experience than all of us,” Kuminga said. “He played 18 seasons, and it’s not easy to play those many years in the league. He’s been around for so long, so he knows a lot.
“He won with us his fourth championship, so he knew what he was talking about, and he just wanted to be out here and just help, not just the young guys, helping the team.”
Despite mentoring Kuminga and playing the role of a coach on the bench, should the 38-year-old Iguodala return to Golden State for his 19th NBA season, he does not want the role of a player-coach.
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Although the veteran may not want to be an extension of the coaching staff, there’s no denying Iguodala has left his mark with players like Kuminga, who are beginning their professional careers and navigating life in the NBA.
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