Why Jimmy Butler believes aiding Warriors teammate Jonathan Kuminga is his ‘job’

Why Jimmy Butler believes aiding Warriors teammate Jonathan Kuminga is his ‘job’ originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Six-time NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler wants nothing but to see his up-and-coming Warriors teammate Jonathan Kuminga succeed.

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Butler shared why helping Kuminga is so important to him in the latest edition of NBC Sports Bay Area’s “Dub Talk” with Monte Poole and Raj Mathai, adding that the 23-year-old swingman is better than he was at that age.

“Oh my God … No. He [is] way better than I was at the age he is,” Butler told Poole and Mathai. “The upside, the ceiling, it’s all of that. Now, what I will say is that I’ve been in his position — as in like starting [and] not starting, just got a deal … But he wants to be great. So, he’s asking all the right questions. He’s saying what he sees.  ‘Yo, I need to learn how to do this?’ That’s all you can ask from anybody. Nobody has all the answers; I don’t. Steph [Curry] might, actually …

“So, besides Steph, nobody has all the answers, and [Kuminga’s] asking all these questions because, once again, he wants to do right — whatever you ask him to do. You want him to play the five? You think JK wants to play the damn five? No. But … he’s going to ask, ‘How could I play the five, be effective, win my minutes and help us win?’ And that’s who JK is. And it’s my job to help as often as I can.”

There aren’t many, if any, better situations for a young player like Kuminga to develop in than the Warriors; at minimum, he gets to watch and learn from Curry, Butler and Draymond Green.

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However, Butler’s journey to NBA stardom was anything but linear, making him the ideal mentor for Kuminga.

Butler understands the bumps in the road that Kuminga might — or already has — come across, and, as he explained to Poole and Mathai, will have the youngster’s back regardless.

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/why-jimmy-butler-believes-aiding-074250030.html

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Publish date : 2025-12-09 07:42:00

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