No. 1 Prospect Jonathan Kuminga to Join G League over Offers from Duke, Kentucky

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

One of the top recruits in the 2021 class, small forward Jonathan Kuminga, is heading to the G League in 2020, as he revealed to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium on Wednesday. 

Charania added Kuminga's G League contract is expected to be in the "$500,000 range."

The 6'8", 205-pound recruit from the Democratic Republic of Congo plays for The Patrick School in New Jersey and was ranked No. 1 overall in his class by 247Sports.com. Before joining the G League, he held offers from Duke, Kentucky, Auburn, Florida State, Baylor, Memphis, Michigan and Texas Tech. 

On May 22, Kuminga announced his final five choices, including the NBA G League:

Brian Snow, the national basketball analyst at 247Sports, compared Kuminga to the Orlando Magic's Jonathan Issac. 

247Sports' Evan Daniels wrote:

"Kuminga's combination of physical tools, skill set, scoring ability, defensive versatility, long term upside and upward trajectory over the past two years are among the reasons he's considered a special prospect in the 2021 class. Kuminga has impressive athleticism and fluidity, and while he plays primarily on the wing, he's versatile, skilled and tough enough to be equally effective playing inside and out. While there's room for improvement, his jump shot continues to make stride, as does his post and mid-post game. It's also promising that as Kuminga has gotten older, his game has steadily progressed. At this stage, he's the clear No. 1 prospect in the 2021 class."

✨ Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content

A number of top recruits have recently chosen the G League route, including Kai Sotto, Jalen Green, Isaiah Todd and Daishen Nix.

That's a lot of top talent bypassing the college game, which could become a major theme in the years to come as top players choose to get paid by playing professionally either in the NBA's developmental league or overseas.