Former Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga made his playoff debut for the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday, but there was limited impact from the young forward as his team suffered a 113-102 defeat to the New York Knicks in Game 1 of their first-round series.
Kuminga did play 27 minutes in the loss, but the Hawks failed to utilize him enough offensively in a mistake the Warriors quickly learned from in their previous playoff experiences with the former seventh overall pick.
Hawks repeating Jonathan Kuminga mistake Warriors already learned
Steve Kerr spoke just prior to February's trade about how Kuminga is a player who needs long stretches and touches to find his rhythm, otherwise he's going to struggle to make the impact he has the potential of delivering.
Kerr's treatment of Kuminga was a major talking point throughout his time at the franchise, with the head coach clearly believing he's a player that won't be effective in short stints, and who needs a significant offensive role to contribute effectively.
That's exactly why Kuminga went from DNPs and limited minutes in last year's first-round series against the Houston Rockets, to suddenly playing heavy minutes and leading the Warriors in scoring in the second-round after Stephen Curry's hamstring injury.
There was no issue with the amount of minutes Kuminga played in Game 1 against the Knicks, but he only took four field-goal attempts through the first three-quarters in his role as a sixth man off the bench.
The 23-year-old briefly came alive early in the fourth-quarter, scoring five points in less than three minutes as the Hawks battled not only the Knicks but a raucous home crowd at Madison Square Garden.
New York did eventually take control and took a commanding 106-87 lead before Kuminga was subbed out with 4:26 left. He wasn't to see the floor again as the Knicks closed out victory despite a quick 11-0 Atlanta run.
Hawks need to get Jonathan Kuminga more involved offensively
Kuminga finished his Hawks playoff debut with eight points, four rebounds and an assist in his 27 minutes, shooting 3-of-7 from the floor, missing both his 3-point attempts and being a -7 in the 11-point loss.
The Hawks have to know that Kuminga isn't necessarily suited to doing all the little things you might consistently want from a role player, and that getting him more involved offensively is going to be the best path to get the most out of him.
Last year's second-round series proved Kuminga isn't scared of the moment or any opposition, but we'll now wait to see if he's given the freedom to be more aggressive over the remainder of the series and going forward.
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