Jonathan Kuminga has been flying -- literally and figuratively -- to start his career at the Atlanta Hawks, making the Golden State Warriors look foolish early on after they gave up their former seventh overall pick a month ago.
However, Kuminga's momentum has been halted again in frustrating fashion, with the 23-year-old unable to avoid the lingering injury concerns that began at the Warriors.
Jonathan Kuminga is still dealing with a knee injury
After three-straight games where he put up big numbers, excited Hawks fans and lit up social media, Kuminga has been sidelined again by knee inflammation that likely stems from the injury he suffered in his final game for Golden State against the Dallas Mavericks on January 22.
Kuminga missed Wednesday's 131-113 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, and is no guarantee to return against the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday, having been listed as questionable for a game that could have major implications on the final Eastern Conference standings.
The constant discussion over his role, playing time and future in Golden State may have actually overshadowed Kuminga's injury concerns in recent times, having played just 70 games since the start of last season.
In fairness, some of his absences stemmed from being out of the Warriors' rotation earlier this season, but he did also miss 31-straight games last season due to a persistent ankle injury, and has now had multiple injury issues in the past few months.
Kuminga has shown plenty in his first three games for the Hawks, but moving on from this injury and playing consistently will be key in ensuring the front office solidifies his $24.3 million team option for next season.
Jonathan Kuminga still needs to perform in bigger matchups
Kuminga has averaged an incredible 21.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.7 steals in just 26.7 minutes per game, shooting 67.7% from the floor and 55.6% from 3-point range. Yet there's still an eagerness to see him perform against better opposition, especially as the Hawks look to push up from the ninth-seed in the East with 19 games remaining in the regular season.
Two of Kuminga's first three games came against the lowly Washington Wizards who are on a seven-game losing streak, while the third was against the 10th-seed Portland Trail Blazers who were dominated from the jump.
Atlanta have meetings with the likes of the Pistons, Celtics (x2), Knicks, Cavaliers (x2) and Rockets over the remainder of the season, offering an opportunity to further evaluate Kuminga's potential if he can return to the floor.