Before Monday’s game against Indiana, warrior Head coach Steve Kerr told reporters this Jonathan KumingaRecent shot selection and decision making had been “poor” and he had spoken to both Kuminga and him Brandin Podziemski about making better decisions, as ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk reports.

Kuminga responded with one of his best games of the season without a substitute. In just under 30 minutes of action, he collected 26 points, eight rebounds and four assists while only turning the ball over once.

“This is the JK we want” Kerr said after the game, according to Youngmisuk. “Spent a lot of time in the paint taking care of the ball. Had some really nice passes. Found Buddy (Hield) for three on a lovely play and really attacked. So this is a great example of how JK needs to play. I’m really proud of him for coming out and playing like that. … He’s doing better and it’s fun to watch his development.”

Kuminga started six games in a row earlier this month but was benched for the last three games. Kerr has suggested the move won’t necessarily be permanent, but noted last week that it sees the club adopting a better defensive tone Draymond Green starting next to a center. Kuminga, whose role has fluctuated frequently since entering the league in 2021, said he has become accustomed to the unpredictability and is not fazed by it.

“Where I come from, you always have to be mentally strong” Kuminga said. “A lot of people who play… if they were me they would quit basketball.” They’re going to need a therapist. You will go through many mental situations. But the thing doesn’t affect me. As long as I go out here every day and just play, be with my teammates, (they) encourage me every day to be who I am.”

We have more from the Pacific:

• Suns Two-way protection Collin GillespieAccording to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic, Rankin, who was diagnosed with a right ankle fracture last month, hopes to return to action soon after the G League regular season begins next week. “I haven’t really talked to the coaches about it yet, but I’m sure that will be the plan, making sure I check all the boxes here, individual training sessions.” Gillespie said. “Play 2-on-2, 3-on-3 and just build it up until I’m ready to go 5-on-5. I’m sure that once they get back from break (between the Winter Showcase and the regular season) they will have some home games that I can attend. Hopefully we can get some representatives there.” The Valley Suns, Phoenix’s NBAGL affiliate, will play their first regular season game next Monday.
• A year ago this time, that Suns had a record of 14-14. This year, despite an 8-1 start, they are back to 14-14. PHNX Sports’ Gerald Bourguet examines why the team is plagued by the same problems as last season and considers whether these problems are fixable.
• The Lakers‘ offense ranked 29th in the NBA over the last four weeks and was head coach JJ Redick believes the team’s shot selection is a big part of the reason why, as Khobi Price of the Southern California News Group writes. “In the last 13 (games) we’ve made five more non-paint twos – on those we’ve hit 39%.” Redick said. “… Those five additional twos off the paint, if we shot them at the same rate as Phoenix – which shoots 49% on twos off the paint – would move our offense from 29th to 27th. … If we took those five middies and made league-average threes, our offense would move from 27th to 12th. In a way, we need to shoot more threes and make more threes. That doesn’t mean we come down and just don’t throw a pass, just a dribble. We have to generate the right ones and do it with the right process.”