Former Warriors wing Jonathan Kuminga dominates in Hawks debut

In his first NBA game without a Golden State Warriors jersey, Jonathan Kuminga delivered an impressive all-around performance in the Atlanta Hawks 119-98 blowout win over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night. In 24 minutes off the bench, Kuminga scored a game-high 27 points alongside 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and just 2 turnovers on 9-for-12 shooting from the field (3-for-4 from three and 6-for-7 from the free-throw line). He unsurprisingly had an excellent +16 plus/minus as well.

Kuminga’s tumultuous Warriors tenure finally came to a close at the trade deadline, when Golden State sent him to the Atlanta Hawks for Kristaps Porzingis and his expiring contract. While a healthy Porzgingis would be the perfect center for the Warriors, his injury history and prolonged bout with chronic illness (POTS) make it difficult to envision him becoming a core member of the team. With Porzingis’ contract slated to expire at the end of the season, Golden State was largely moving Kuminga in a salary dump that netted them a potential lottery ticket.

Kuminga has had plenty of impressive flashes throughout his pro career. His tantalizing athleticism after all is what led the Warriors to select him with the seventh-overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. Kuminga had many promising stretches with Golden State, where he flashed future All-Star potential. Even this season, after an ugly prolonged restricted free agency, Kuminga started the season in the starting lineup and got off to a great start. However, head coach Steve Kerr quickly pulled Kuminga from the starting lineup after a slump and he soon was out of the rotation entirely.

Kuminga is confident he can be a legitimate NBA star. Kerr was clearly skeptical. If Kuminga keeps playing like he did in his first game with the Hawks, he’ll surely have the last laugh.