Jonathan Kuminga is suddenly basking in the spotlight in Atlanta that he was starved of in Golden State. The 23-year-old forward joined the Hawks following a trade deadline deal on Feb. 5 in exchange for Kristaps Porziņģis.
Since his debut with the Hawks, Kuminga looks refreshed, once again playing like the athletic forward with exceptional slashing ability and high-level scoring touch that made him a prized prospect.
Hawks Fans Take a Dig at Jonathan Kuminga’s Former Team
The new version of Kuminga hasn’t gone unnoticed by Hawks fans, and they made their feelings unmistakably clear with a loud and savage chant aimed directly at his former team.
The Hawks hosted the Portland Trail Blazers at State Farm Arena on Sunday, March 1. Atlanta, the East’s ninth-seeded team, steamrolled the Trail Blazers 135-101.
Hawks’ newly acquired forward Kuminga was once again a primary contributor. The 2022 NBA champion carried over the momentum he displayed during his historic Hawks debut.
The 6-foot-7 forward filled the stat sheet with 20 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals on 7-of-10 shooting from the field and 1-of-2 from beyond the arc.
Kuminga also went 5-of-7 from the free-throw line, and it was during one of those attempts that Hawks fans decided to call out his former team, the Golden State Warriors.
In a video posted by basketball journalist Zach Langley on X, fans can be heard chanting “Thank you, Warriors” as Kuminga stepped to the line. Langley captioned the clip: “Thank you, Warriors’ chants from Atlanta’s 404 Crew while Jonathan Kuminga shoots free throws.”
Kuminga’s Hawks debut was historic. Coming off the bench, he erupted for 27 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists while shooting 75% from the field and 75% from three-point range. With that stat line, Kuminga set a franchise record for the most points off the bench in a Hawks debut.
It was also easily his best performance in a season that had been largely disappointing during his time with the Warriors. In three games with the Hawks, Kuminga is averaging 21.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists while shooting 67.7% from the field and 55.6% from three-point range.
For comparison, Kuminga averaged just 12.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 20 games with Golden State this season.
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He appears to have carved out a consistent role in Atlanta’s rotation after shuffling in and out of Golden State’s lineup and being heavily involved in trade rumors over the past few years. The win marked Atlanta’s 31st of the season, pushing the Hawks back to .500 for the first time since Dec. 23.
The Hawks are now 3-0 since adding Kuminga and have won four straight games overall.
