{"id":701344,"date":"2026-04-06T12:52:22","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T12:52:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/701344\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T12:52:22","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T12:52:22","slug":"an-honest-review-of-the-jonathan-kuminga-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/701344\/","title":{"rendered":"An honest review of the Jonathan Kuminga experience"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s been a little over a month since Jonathan Kuminga made his Atlanta Hawks debut, and while the team has been red-hot<\/a> since the All-Star break, it\u2019s been a bit of a mixed bag for the former Warrior as he acclimates to his new surroundings.<\/p>\n

In 13 games for Atlanta (25 possible appearances*), Kuminga has put up respectable \u2018per game\u2019 averages<\/a> of 11.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 21 minutes a night on a 59.7% True Shooting clip. Yet, given his sizable $24.3 million team option for next season, it\u2019s far from a guarantee that he\u2019ll be back in Atlanta in 2026-27, and I\u2019m quite fascinated to see the level of production the team gets from him going forwards, particularly as the competition level rises in the postseason.<\/p>\n

*Kuminga has been dealing with a balky left knee since he injured it against Dallas on January 22nd, and has played in four consecutive games for the Hawks just once since being acquired at the deadline. <\/p>\n

After a frustrating, enigmatic four-and-a-half-year stint in Golden State largely defined by Kuminga\u2019s dismal relationship<\/a> with head coach, Steve Kerr, the former seventh overall pick was in need of a fresh start in Atlanta, aiming to make good on the sky-high potential that made him a top-10 draft pick.<\/p>\n

Kuminga took a few weeks to recover from a bone bruise in his left knee after being traded to Atlanta, but once he was cleared for action, it looked like he\u2019d been shot out of a cannon in his first three games in a Hawks uniform, going for<\/a> 27, 17, and 20 points against Washington (twice) and Portland, shooting a combined 21-for-31 from the field (5-for-9 from three) over that stretch.<\/p>\n

However, after missing the following three games with inflammation in his left knee, he\u2019s struggled to make a consistent impact and has failed to reach the double-digit mark in five out of his last ten appearances.<\/p>\n

One trend that\u2019s beginning to emerge in Kuminga\u2019s performances with the Hawks is that he\u2019s generally struggled against Play-In\/Playoff-caliber opponents relative to his performances against lottery-bound teams. As you can see in the table below, his numbers \u2013 particularly his scoring efficiency \u2013 drop across the board against higher caliber competition.<\/p>\n

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So where does this leave us? Which version of Kuminga can we trust? It\u2019s a difficult question given the miniscule sample size (278 minutes) of him in a Hawks uniform, yet it\u2019s a question Atlanta\u2019s front office is certainly trying to answer as they prepare to decide on his team option for next season.<\/p>\n

So without further ado, let\u2019s go through a few critiques of Kuminga\u2019s performance in Atlanta since the All-Star break.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll start with an obvious positive: Jonathan Kuminga is an elite athlete, even by NBA standards, and these athletic gifts lend themselves nicely to an Atlanta team that likes to spread its wings on offense, ranking fifth<\/a> in pace and fourth<\/a> in transition frequency on the season. Kuminga thrives in early shot clock situations where he can attack the defense with a head of steam \u2013 opportunities that came around less frequently<\/a> when he was in Golden State earlier this season.<\/p>\n

Check out this play from Wednesday\u2019s win over Orlando. \u2018JK\u2019 is in attack mode just three seconds into the possession before Franz Wagner can get into his defensive stance, and he capitalizes for an easy two points plus the foul.<\/p>\n

Against Boston, the Hawks force a turnover and are off to the races with a 3-on-2 advantage in transition. Kuminga receives the ball around half-court and a few seconds later he\u2019s at the rim, dropping in a lay-up.<\/p>\n

Against Portland, he muscles the 7\u20192\u201d, 280-pound (!) Donovan Clingan out of the way, before finishing off the possession with a pretty reverse lay-in.<\/p>\n

Per cleaningtheglass (CTG), the Hawks rank second<\/a> in transition efficiency this season, scoring 1.34 points per play. With Kuminga shooting an impressive 20-for-32 (62.5%<\/a>) in the first nine seconds of the shot clock, Atlanta\u2019s transition efficiency improves to 1.39* point-per-play when he is in the game \u2013 underscoring his value in these early shot clock situations.<\/p>\n

*92nd percentile<\/a> relative to other five-man lineups this season (min. 100 possessions played)<\/p>\n

The problem is that even for teams like the Hawks who like to run, the majority of the game is played in the halfcourt, where Kuminga has been quite inconsistent thus far.<\/p>\n

Halfcourt Offense Is a Work In Progress<\/p>\n

Tasked with providing a scoring punch off the pine for a defensive-minded Atlanta Hawks bench unit, it would have been rather pollyannaish to expect Kuminga to instantly mesh with his new teammates. That said, watching back a few of his misses on film, it\u2019s clear that he needs to do a better job picking when to attack in the halfcourt.<\/p>\n

From their recent game in Boston, Kuminga receives the ball on the wing and keeps his head down on his drive to the basket. There\u2019s more than enough time on the shot-clock for Atlanta to get a cleaner look, and he has opportunities to pass to Zaccharie Risacher, Mo Gueye or the cutting Corey Kispert, but instead Kuminga opts to take it right at three Celtics defenders resulting in an empty possession for Atlanta.<\/p>\n

Against Brooklyn on March 12th, Kuminga goes one-on-one against rookie forward, Danny Wolf, and either doesn\u2019t recognize or doesn\u2019t care that Jalen Johnson\u2019s defender is coming over to help. Instead of kicking it out to the open Johnson, Kuminga tries to finish through contact, leading to a blocked shot and an easy transition bucket for Brooklyn.<\/p>\n

Earlier in the quarter of the same Brooklyn game, Kuminga dominates the entire possession, taking 11 dribbles before failing to convert at the rim. Similar to the play above, he misses a wide-open Alexander-Walker in the corner before going up to shoot.<\/p>\n

The clips above do a good job demonstrating why Kuminga is shooting just 24-for-41 (58.5%<\/a>) at the rim for the Hawks \u2013 well below his career rim field goal percentage of 71%<\/a>. He needs to slow down, process the defensive coverage, and do his best not to force things.<\/p>\n

Still, that\u2019s not to say Kuminga is a complete lost cause in these halfcourt situations. There have been signs of improvement lately.<\/p>\n

This was a gorgeous and-one finish on Amari Williams from last week\u2019s game against Boston.<\/p>\n

Against Orlando, he puts his strength on display once again, taking it right at Da Silva before finishing at the rim.<\/p>\n

Here, he recognizes he\u2019s in a crowd, and instead of forcing up a tough mid-range attempt, kicks it out to Alexander-Walker for a triple from the top of the key. Yes!<\/p>\n

Even when he doesn\u2019t convert, the pressure Kuminga puts on the basket can be a positive for Atlanta \u2013 especially when he takes an opposing rebounder out of the equation, like on this possession against Detroit.<\/p>\n

Additionally, Kuminga is a big help when it comes to generating free-throws for a Hawks team that ranks 25th<\/a> in free-throw attempt rate on the season, drawing shooting fouls on 17.6%<\/a> of his field goal attempts in Atlanta, a mark that ranks in the 94th percentile<\/a> amongst forwards per cleaningtheglass.<\/p>\n

Something I\u2019d like to see the Hawks do more of is putting Kuminga in \u2018obvious attack\u2019 situations where he can use the same gifts in the halfcourt that make him such a lethal transition scorer.<\/p>\n

In the play below, CJ McCollum has his drive walled off by Ausar Thompson and kicks it out to Kuminga on the opposite wing. The left side is completely cleared out for \u2018JK\u2019 \u2013 just check out how much space he has when he catches the ball \u2013 and Javonte Green (my guy!<\/a>) has no chance sticking with Kuminga\u2019s drive.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve really enjoyed the possessions where Atlanta uses him as a roll-man, like on this play against Memphis. McCollum makes a great pass to the rolling Kuminga and it\u2019s an easy slam for \u2018JK\u2019 \u2013 with GG Jackson torn between helping on Kuminga and sticking to Corey Kispert in the corner.<\/p>\n

Per cleaningtheglass, Atlanta is scoring 0.96 points-per-play in the halfcourt with Kuminga on the floor \u2013 slightly below their halfcourt efficiency on the season and a mark that ranks in just the 42nd percentile<\/a> relative to other five-man lineups with at least 100 possessions played this season. I\u2019m curious to see whether this number rises as Kuminga and his teammates develop a better understanding of each other\u2019s games.<\/p>\n

Impact On The Defensive Glass Has Been Elite<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve spent a lot of time talking about Kuminga\u2019s scoring ability, but another area where he\u2019s made a noticeable impact for Atlanta is on the glass. I discussed the Hawks substantial turnaround on the boards since the All-Star break in my last piece<\/a>, and when he\u2019s played, Kuminga has been a big part of this improvement \u2013 particularly on the defensive end.<\/p>\n

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Per pbpstats, Kuminga is personally snagging 18.3%<\/a> of available defensive boards when he is on the floor for Atlanta \u2013 well above his career defensive rebounding percentage (DREB%) of 13%<\/a> \u2013 and it\u2019s encouraging to see that this has translated to the team-level as well, as Atlanta\u2019s 77.9% defensive rebounding percentage with Kuminga on the floor ranks in the 99th percentile<\/a> (!) relative to other five-man lineups this season per cleaningtheglass.<\/p>\n

While it would be nice to see the Hawks turn more of these defensive rebounds into transition opportunities*, given that the defensive glass was a legitimate problem<\/a> to start the season, Kuminga\u2019s impact in this area deserves a ton of praise.<\/p>\n

*per CTG, the Hawks are turning just 28.3% of their defensive boards into transition possessions with Kuminga on the floor \u2013 44th percentile<\/a> relative to other five-man lineups this season.<\/p>\n

Is His Defensive Impact Sustainable?<\/p>\n

Lastly, we need to talk about Kuminga\u2019s impact on the defensive end \u2013 beyond the boards, of course. Per cleaningtheglass, the Hawks are posting an elite, 104.5 defensive rating with Kuminga on the floor, a mark that ranks in the 98th percentile<\/a> relative to other five-man lineups this season.<\/p>\n

While limiting their opponent\u2019s second chance opportunities has certainly been a factor here, the Hawks are also forcing turnovers on 17% of their defensive possessions* and holding their opponents to an unfathomable 57.8% rim field goal percentage** with Kuminga on the floor \u2013 both of which are elite marks.<\/p>\n

*92nd percentile<\/a> relative to other five-man lineups per CTG<\/p>\n

**99th percentile<\/a> relative to other five-man lineups per CTG (for reference, San Antonio Spurs\u2019 opponents are shooting 60.4% at the rim <\/a>when Victor Wembanyama is in the game \u2013 albeit in a much larger sample size)<\/p>\n

Kuminga has been a more active defender since joining the Hawks, posting more steals per 100 possessions in Atlanta (1.9<\/a>) than he did in any season with the Warriors.<\/p>\n

Against his former team, he picks off Poziemski\u2019s skip pass to the corner, sparking an offensive possession that results in a Risacher triple.<\/p>\n

Kuminga is also a legitimate deterrent around the hoop \u2013 as on display in these two plays from Atlanta\u2019s win over Boston on March 30th.<\/p>\n

Below, he does a good job sticking with Pritchard\u2019s drive before forcing a miss.<\/p>\n

Here, he and Okongwu cause Jaylen Brown to adjust mid-air on his drive to the hoop, resulting in another Boston miss.<\/p>\n

Now, it has to be said that these defensive numbers are almost certainly inflated by the competition-level Kuminga has faced \u2013 with Atlanta playing lottery-bound opponents in six out of the 13 games he\u2019s appeared in \u2013 but even so, you only play the teams on your schedule, and it\u2019s been good to see Kuminga and the Hawks taking care of business on the defensive end.<\/p>\n

Kuminga\u2019s next opportunity to impress comes at home tonight against the New York Knicks (7-3 in their last ten games), who currently occupy the 3-seed in the Eastern Conference.<\/p>\n

Each game provides another data point and I\u2019ll be keeping an eye on his scoring efficiency against a Playoff-caliber opponent, as well as how the team performs on the glass when he is on the floor \u2013 with New York ranking sixth in offensive rebounding rate and third in defensive rebounding rate on the season<\/p>\n

Tip-off is at 7:00pm EST on FanDuel Sports!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s been a little over a month since Jonathan Kuminga made his Atlanta Hawks debut, and while the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":701345,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3776],"tags":[740,676,208,3874,7,677,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-701344","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-atlanta-hawks","8":"tag-analysis","9":"tag-atlanta","10":"tag-atlanta-hawks","11":"tag-atlantahawks","12":"tag-basketball","13":"tag-hawks","14":"tag-nba"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116357861702147472","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/701344","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=701344"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/701344\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/701345"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=701344"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=701344"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=701344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}