Jonathan Kuminga all smiles in 'great' Hawks debut after trade
Atlanta — Jonathan Kuminga made an immediate impact in his first game with the Hawks, finishing with a season-high 27 points in a 119-98 rout of the Washington Wizards. The performance matters because it marked a clear change of fortunes after limited playing time in Golden State and a midseason trade that reshaped both teams' rotations.
Jonathan Kuminga's Atlanta debut: stats and style
Kuminga checked in off the bench near the midway point of the first quarter and energized the crowd with thunderous dunks, a 3-pointer and an infectious smile. He totaled 27 points — a season high — while adding seven rebounds, four assists and two steals in nearly 24 1/2 minutes. During his initial stint on the court he produced a dunk off a fast break, a 3-pointer, four assists, two rebounds and a steal, setting the tone for a night in which he was clearly comfortable playing on the wing for Atlanta.
Hawks roster change that sent Kristaps Porzingis to Golden State Warriors
The Hawks acquired Kuminga and guard Buddy Hield in a deal that sent center Kristaps Porzingis to the Golden State Warriors at the trade deadline. The move followed Porzingis's only season in Atlanta, during which he played just 17 games because of injuries and illness, and it immediately altered Atlanta's rotation and opportunities for new arrivals.
Jalen Johnson injury increased Kuminga's role
Kuminga ended up playing a larger-than-expected role after Atlanta's All-Star forward Jalen Johnson went down in the first quarter with a hip flexor injury and did not return. That absence opened minutes that Kuminga filled, and coach Quin Snyder praised the new addition, saying he connected with teammates and let the game come to him.
From limited minutes in Golden State to a fresh start
The performance offered a contrast with Kuminga's final weeks in Golden State, where the high-flying forward fell out of favor with coach Steve Kerr and was dropped from the rotation. The 23-year-old from the Democratic Republic of the Congo played in just seven of his last 38 games with the Warriors before the trade. He had started the season as a starter, averaging 12. 1 points, 5. 9 rebounds and 2. 5 assists per game during his limited time on the court, but diminishing minutes led him to request a trade.
Knee recovery and missed Hawks games
Kuminga had missed his first six games with the Hawks, which were sandwiched around the All-Star break, while recovering from a left knee bone bruise he sustained in his closing weeks with Golden State. That recovery delayed his debut for Atlanta but did not appear to blunt his energy when he finally took the floor.
Player perspective and coaching comment
After the game Kuminga said, "It was great, " and emphasized focus over headlines: "Everybody has an opinion. I really don't play attention to what anyone else is saying. We're trying to win as many games as we can here. That's my main focus. " Coach Quin Snyder's observation that Kuminga connected with his teammates underscores how quickly the forward fit into Atlanta's rotations in meaningful minutes.
What makes this notable is how several linked factors — a trade that exchanged Porzingis for two players, Kuminga's recovery from a knee bone bruise, and an in-game injury to an All-Star teammate — combined to create an immediate opportunity that the rookie-turned-professional seized convincingly.
The Hawks rout of the Wizards offered a first glimpse of what the team might get from Kuminga when healthy: a 23-year-old wing with scoring bursts, above-average athleticism on show through highlight plays, and the ability to run the offense briefly with four assists in limited minutes. Whether that translates into a sustained role will depend on roster health and coaching choices in the weeks ahead, but his debut provided concrete reason for optimism among Atlanta's staff and fans.
