Jonathan Kuminga often felt like he was fighting an uphill battle to secure a significant role with the Golden State Warriors, but that struggle vanished almost immediately after his arrival at the Atlanta Hawks.
Just one electrifying performance off the bench on Tuesday was enough to propel Kuminga into the starting lineup, a clear indicator of bright things ahead following his trade from the Warriors earlier this month.
The Hawks wasted no time in handing Jonathan Kuminga the starting spot he craved. Sure, Atlanta was missing star forward Jalen Johnson and starting guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker in their Thursday clash against the Washington Wizards, but Kuminga’s path to remaining a starter looks wide open even when those key players return.
The young forward has already turned heads in his first two outings with the Hawks, erupting for 27 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals on an impressive 9-of-12 shooting in his debut.
While Thursday’s game wasn’t as explosive in terms of scoring, Kuminga still delivered efficiently, tallying 17 points, nine rebounds, and three assists on 5-of-9 shooting.
Both games came against the struggling Wizards, so Kuminga has much more to demonstrate before the Warriors might second-guess trading away their former No. 7 overall pick. That said, the early indicators couldn’t be more encouraging for the 23-year-old, especially considering the recent benching of former No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher. Johnson’s injury forced Risacher back into the starting five alongside Kuminga on Thursday, but he logged under 25 minutes— a telling sign of the Hawks’ forward hierarchy.
When the Hawks are fully healthy, it’s not hard to picture a starting unit of Dyson Daniels, Alexander-Walker, Kuminga, Johnson, and Onyeka Okongwu. Shooting might be a concern in that lineup, but Kuminga appears poised for the consistent starting minutes he never fully enjoyed in Golden State.
During his time with the Warriors, Kuminga started only 97 of his 278 regular-season games, with nearly half of those starts coming in the 2023-24 campaign. Even after a strong showing as a starter early this season, it was fleeting—just 12 games before he was pulled from the rotation entirely.
Kuminga won’t have to wait long for his first matchup against his old team, as the Hawks are slated to host Golden State on March 21 at State Farm Arena.