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Draymond Green #23 (left) speaks to Jonathan Kuminga #00 of the Golden State Warriors on the bench during their game against the New Orleans Pelicans in the first half at Chase Center on January 10, 2024 in San Francisco, California.
Fifth-year swingman Jonathan Kuminga is no longer part of the Golden State Warriors locker room, but he still has plenty of former teammates rooting for him to succeed in an Atlanta Hawks uniform. Among those are Draymond Green, who heaped praise on Kuminga for showing out in his Hawks debut.
“Incredible,” Green said on his podcast of Kuminga posting a season-high 27 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals in his first game in ATL.
“JK was just getting out there and running,” Green continued. “They hitting him in transition and he get to it. Once he get downhill and get dunks, then the three-ball starts falling. He was 2-from-3 from the three-point line.”
“I’m happy to see it,” added the four-time NBA champion.
Green Details JK Conversation
The veteran defensive ace revealed that he had a FaceTime conversation with Kuminga the night before his debut with the Hawks, in which he wished his former teammate the best and encouraged him to stay true to himself and his game.
“I told him, ‘Let’s get it.’ And young fella came out with 27,” Green beamed with pride.
“What a great debut! Happy to see him playing, happy to see him smiling.”
Green expects Kuminga to average at least 20.0 points for the Hawks going forward, citing his ability to be a secondary scoring option behind All-Star Jalen Johnson.
“One thing for certain is that JK can really score the basketball,” Green stressed.
“JK really loves the game of basketball. He competes. And I absolutely love watching him go out there, put everything aside, and show the world who he is.”
Kuminga, Hawks a Seamless Fit?
Many analysts, including Green, feel that Kuminga fits perfectly into Quin Snyder’s system because he thrives in transition more than in half-court sets. To that end, the Hawks rank third in transition points (29.0), which isn’t surprising given that their athletic wings — Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker — excel at pushing the pace not only after defensive stops but also when initiating offense.
Kuminga, with his 7-foot wingspan, is the exact prototype of the player Snyder prefers, something the Hawks head coach has reiterated several times already.
“The thing that’s impressed me as much as anything, it’s just, you know, his, his work,” Snyder said of Kuminga on Thursday night, via HoopsHype.
“…And then I think he’s really, he’s, he’s really focused on moving the ball and being unselfish,” the Hawks coach said after a win over the Wizards. “I thought he made a couple passes tonight that were, you know, really impressive, just looking a guy off and, and seeing the court. And I think as he plays more and more, um, you know, he’s gonna be more and more instinctive, you know, particularly in the open court.”
Kuminga got his first start with the Hawks on Thursday night and again showed out with 17 points and nine rebounds in a 126-96 win over the Wizards. With Johnson (hip injury) expected to be sidelined a little longer, Kuminga is expected to remain a starter.
Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sports writer with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided’s Hoops Habit, International Business Times, Hindustan Times and more. More about Sai Mohan
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