Why Kuminga won't be talking trash as rookie with Warriors

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Jonathan Kuminga has a quiet demeanor. 

He's softspoken, doesn't seem to get too high or too low, and is thoughtful with his word choice. So, don't expect him to be an overly animated player who yells and shouts in excitement or frustration or to get in other peoples' faces. 

But, none of this means he doesn't know how to use his voice. Quite the contrary. He well understands how important being vocal is in basketball.

"As I start playing with a lot of pros and stuff, I'll start getting more vocal on defense and communicating," Kuminga told NBC Sports Bay Area's Kendra Andrews and Grant Liffmann on the latest Dubs Talk podcast. "Because in basketball, the way it goes is if you don't talk good on defense, people are going to score easy.

"So, you got to be more vocal."

Kuminga's ability to communicate was on display during Summer League, which just wrapped up on Tuesday night. There were numerous occasions where Kuminga could be seen whispering in the ears of his teammates, pointing to where they needed to be on the floor, or lightly calling out different directions. 

If you're the Warriors coaching staff, this is exactly what you want to see from your No. 7 overall draft pick. As Kuminga said, communication is key to be successful on the court. 

But for the 19-year-old who spent one year with the G League Ignite, his vocals on the court will start and stop with helping his team win. He won't participate in the extracurriculars of trash talk. He doesn't need to.

RELATED: Kerr discusses where Kuminga fits into Warriors' rotation

"I just smile. I don't say nothing," he said. "If you stay quiet against someone who's coming at you and talking too much, it's going to get tired. Then they won't say much. But if you keep talking to them, they're going to have a lot of energy to talk back."

"It's not something I do often but if I do say some trash, it means the guy I'm going against is talking at me or some crazy stuff," Kuminga continued. "I don't talk trash. My basketball talks trash."

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