Jonathan Kuminga, No. 1 player in 2020 Bypasses College for NBA G League

Jonathan Kuminga, the No. 1 high school basketball player in the 2020 class, will bypass college and play for the new NBA G League Select team.

The 6-foot-8 Kuminga is number 1 after the reclassification in 2020 and is forecast as number 4 in the NBA draft 2021, according to ESPN.com. He turns 18 in October.

The news was first reported by this reporter, as was the news that his contract is expected to be worth $ 500,000.

The athlete then published an interview with Kuminga explaining his decision to go pro with college options like Texas Tech, Duke, Auburn, and Kentucky.

“I don’t see myself as a high school player again,” Kuminga, who played at Patrick School in Hillside, New Jersey last season and on NY Rens’ Nike EYBL team, told The Athletic. “I see my potential as an NBA player and with the G League they will help me a lot more than college. You will help me on and off the pitch and achieve my goal of becoming design # 1 in 2021. The G League will help me more than college would help me be the player I want Be now and become a pro. You will help me with everything; my skills and the development of my body.

“I am super excited … I am very motivated and will continue to work hard to achieve this goal. I know that I am number 1 and I will continue to work on being the man I want to be. “

Kuminga said he would have participated in Texas Tech with his brother Joel Ntambwe if he hadn’t opted for the G League.

“If it weren’t for the G League, I’d play with my brother,” Kuminga told The Athletic.

Earlier in the day, Texas tech coach Chris Beard said he wished Kuminga and Ntambwe, a 6-8 striker who came on as a substitute from UNLV and who left the NCAA last season, the best.

“What I can tell you with Joel is that he is a big brother to his younger brother,” Beard told John Fanta of the Great East. It was pretty cool watching him take care of his family, so what we want here is really easy. We just hope that his brother makes the best decision for him and that things work out for Joel too. “

Kuminga will now join a G League Select team coached by Brian Shaw, which will also include Jalen Green, Daishen Nix, Isaiah Todd and Kai Sotto. Green is the planned number 2 in 2021 and Nix the number 12, so the G League team now has three planned lottery tips.

Kuminga, who was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is also a symbol of the growing wave of talented African players entering the NBA.

On Wednesday Moussa Cisse, a 6-10 center originally from Guinea, committed to Memphis after reclassifying it to 2020. Earlier this year, Adama Sanogo, a 6-9 striker from Mali, who played with Kuminga last season, was reclassified and signed with UConn. Cisse is considered one-and-do, while Sanogo also has pro-potential.

Kuminga, coach David Zenon, who has worked with NBA players like Mitchell Robinson from the Knicks, believes he’s ready for the pro ranks.

“Physically, his body is great; Jon has a professional body, ”Zenon told ZAGSBLOG last month. “He could add some size, but he has a phenomenal base in terms of his legs and body. With his jump shot he has Pro Range. He has a good understanding of the game. I think the only thing you have to work on is getting used to the speed of the game and changing the speed and reading angle because these pockets and fast lanes are getting thinner.

But in terms of the physical aspects of his game, he’s pretty talented in that regard. “