Jonathan Kuminga
Kuminga is the projected starting power forward on a new-look Minnesota team, a complementary rebound-and-defend forward whose minutes may sit below the other starters.
Role
The SI On SI rotation projection (published about 4 days before 26 October) has him starting at power forward. It says he will get the fewest minutes of the starters, with a total in the mid-20s. It also says he may be the only starter who isn't in the closing lineup every night. Kuminga says coach Finch asked him to rebound, run the break and defend wings (Yahoo Sports). Fansided's depth chart, from after his signing, lists Terrence Shannon Jr. next at PF, then Trey Lyles. Dunking with Wolves lists Lyles and rookie center Joan Beringer among the other bigs. I did not find a usage rate, and I did not read a live depth chart or minutes tracker. The wire note says he is resting for Friday's preseason game against the Bulls. That looks like a preseason rest day, and I found no sign of an injury. I found no reporting on whether he sits back-to-backs.
He is a hyper-athletic forward on a roster with little frontcourt depth, and he was promised the fifth starting spot (Fansided, citing Shams Charania). The other four starters are Ball, Edwards, McDaniels and Gobert, and SI says they are above-average defenders. Offensively, SI notes the group has little shot volume to spare, so his role is clear. NBC Sports (25 October) says a starting role gives him a clearer path to relevance. ESPN's page shows 2026-27 regular season averages of 11.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists, though I did not confirm how many games that covers.
He has averaged only 9.3 shot attempts per game over his career (SI), and he will share the floor with Edwards and Ball, so his scoring ceiling looks limited. SI says he may not close games, and his projected mid-20s minutes cap his counting stats. He was pulled in and out of the Warriors' rotation. Yahoo Sports says the open question is whether he embraces a smaller role. Our data shows only 3 games last season for Minnesota-era purposes, so there is no useful sample from last year to lean on.
Where analysts split
The disagreement is whether he finishes games or plays a starter's share of minutes. SI projects mid-20s minutes and possible exclusion from closing lineups. Fansided's writer said he wasn't sure he would start him, though he agreed it made sense given the thin frontcourt. I did not find a split on whether he keeps the starting job.
Research confidence: reported. Outlooks are grounded in web search over current reporting and refreshed through the season.
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