The highest-rated high school prospect with a Duke basketball offer is about to offer another glimpse of his off-the-chart overall game.
Our Savior New American School (Centereach, N.Y.) five-star Jonathan Kuminga is sure to whet the appetites of any Duke basketball fans who watch the live-streamed SLAM Summer Classic Vol. 2, taking place at 2 p.m. Sunday from New York City’s legendary outdoor court at Dyckman Park.
Kuminga, who ranks No. 1 on the 247Sports 2021 Composite, will be the only prospect at the game holding a Duke offer — which he picked up in July after averaging a Peach Jam-high 27.4 points. In fact, of the 12 scheduled participants from the 2020 and 2021 classes combined, Kuminga appears to be the only one currently drawing any interest from Mike Krzyzewski and his staff.
The reasons are obvious as to why the 6-foot-9, 220-pound small forward already holds more than two dozen offers. Andy Borman, Coach K’s nephew and former Duke basketball walk-on who now serves as Kuminga’s head coach for the Nike EYBL’s NY Rens, sees the Congo native as a talent ahead of his time.
"“He’s the best player in the country regardless of class,” Borman recently opined to Adam Zagoria. “He’s 16 years old…he plays a very mature game and his athleticism is very mature. He’s got a bright future ahead of him, and the best thing about him is that he works his tail off.”"
One result of Kuminga’s work is a shortage of weaknesses still requiring work to fix. He specializes in being an explosive, formidable slasher who has a knack for forcing defenders into defenseless positions. Due to his 7-foot wingspan, elite athleticism, impeccable instincts, and blazing competitive fire, Kuminga is also an expert at rebounding and shot-blocking.
Seemingly the only part of Kuminga’s game that still needs tweaking is his shot. Fortunately, he has time to smooth out his form with two years of high school still remaining — barring a reclass to 2020, which remains an option, though he informed Zagoria, “I’m not really thinking about that right now.”
Unless Kuminga does suddenly start thinking about reclassing, one can assume talks of lists, visits, and meaningful Crystal Ball picks are still a ways off. No matter what his plans are, though, expect his offer from Kentucky to serve as the primary threat to Duke’s pursuit.
In other words, Duke fans should expect plenty of roughnecks from the Bluegrass State to also pay close attention to Kuminga on Sunday while trying to picture him in royal blue.
(Cassius Stanley is the only Blue Devil who played at the inaugural SLAM Summer Classic last year.)
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The Blue Devils also have offers on the table to four of Kuminga’s fellow 2021 five-stars: small forward Patrick Baldwin Jr., small forward Paolo Banchero, small forward A.J. Griffin, and shooting guard Max Christie.
Stay tuned to Ball Durham for more Duke basketball recruiting updates, analyses, opinions, and predictions.