Jonathan Kuminga immediately has made his presence known in The ATL.
In his debut for the Atlanta Hawks in a 119-98 win over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday, the former Warriors forward scored 27 points, making 9 of his 12 field-goal attempts and 3 of 4 three-point shots, and tacked on seven rebounds, four assists and two steals in 24 minutes off the bench.
Kuminga’s first game in a Hawks jersey certainly caught one of his former teammates’ attention.
“Incredible, incredible game,” Golden State star forward Draymond Green said on the latest episode of “The Draymond Green Show.”
“JK was just getting out and running. [When the Hawks are] hitting him in transition, he gets to it. Once he gets downhill and he gets dunks, then the three-ball starts falling…Just a beautiful game and I’m happy to see it.
“I actually talked to him the night before on FaceTime. I’m like, “Man, when are you playing?” He’s like, “I’m at it tomorrow, big bro. I’m back tomorrow night.” I’m like, “Let’s get it.” And, you know, the young fella came out with 27 [points]. What a great debut. Happy to see him playing. Happy to see him smiling.”
In his second game with Atlanta on Thursday, Kuminga was named a starter and recorded 17 points, nine rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal and made 5 of his 9 field-goal attempts, helping the Hawks defeat the Wizards once again in a 126-96 victory.
Kuminga’s scoring prowess might be a new sight to see for Hawks fans, but for Green, he certainly has seen that movie before, front and center, numerous times as a former teammate.
“One thing [that’s] for certain is JK can really score the basketball,” Green expressed. “JK really loves the game of basketball. He competes and I’ve absolutely loved watching him go out there, [putting] everything aside [with a] fresh opportunity and new threads, and go out there and show the world who he is.
“Obviously, we all know who JK is. We know what he’s capable of. But to get off to a great start, to have Atlanta excited, give Atlanta something to be excited about or something else to be excited about, another young prize possession to be excited about, it was beautiful to see.”
After a tumultuous tenure in Golden State, the seventh overall pick of the 2021 NBA Draft finally received the fresh start he very much needed and the chance to develop his game even further with more playing time in Atlanta.
“I just want to see the young fella keep it going,” Green added. “I know he will. Just continue to get better man. Take advantage of the opportunity. New beginnings don’t come around often, so you’ve got to take advantage of them when you get them.
“And he did that in night one and I think he’ll continue to do that as the rest of the season goes on and as he gets more and more comfortable.”
Kuminga’s time with the Warriors officially has been buried, but the sky is the limit in his new home of Atlanta.
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