Perhaps the Golden State Warriors should've seen this coming. They selected Jonathan Kuminga at No. 7 overall in the 2021 NBA Draft. Generally speaking, top-10 picks are viewed as players with legitimate star potential. And, in turn, said players likely believe in their ability to reach those ambitious heights.
Unfortunately, Kuminga's belief in himself never seemed to align with how the organization viewed him—an unfortunate appearance that he can finally decide the validity of with his new team.
After nearly a year of speculation, the Warriors finally parted with Kuminga ahead of the 2026 NBA trade deadline. They sent he and Buddy Hield to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Kristaps Porzingis, whom they hope can rediscover the form he displayed when he helped the Boston Celtics win a title in 2024.
Kuminga will get the fresh start he dreamed of in Atlanta, which has undergone drastic changes of its own after trading franchise player Trae Young to the Washington Wizards.
Kuminga will likely compete for minutes with former first-round draft pick Zaccharie Risacher. Kuminga and Risacher are in eerily similar situations are talented young players who have shown clear signs of potential, but lack the consistency coaches need from them.
It's the golden opportunity that Kuminga has been searching for to prove that the Warriors were wrong about him. But what does he need to do?
Jonathan Kuminga can prove Warriors underutilized him with new team
Atlanta's system is built on ball movement, unselfishness, and the ability to attack from virtually every angle of the court. Though Jalen Johnson is the new franchise player, there's no clear directive to prioritize his involvement or positioning on virtually every offensive possession.
That's evident in the fact that the Hawks rank No. 1 in the NBA in assists per game, No. 2 in potential assists, and No. 11 in passes made.
Golden State is no slouch in any of those areas, ranking similarly to Atlanta. The primary difference in how they operate, however, is that Jimmy Butler and Stephen Curry are offensive focal points whose mere presence on the court all but demands attention from the opposition and their teammates alike.
Though it's a logical approach on Steve Kerr's behalf, a star-centric system inevitably limited the opportunities that were made available to a slashing scorer like Kuminga.
Hawks ideally equipped to bring the best out of Jonathan Kuminga
The deprioritization of slashing scorers is evident in the fact that Golden State ranks No. 27 in drives per game and No. 29 in field goal attempts via drives per game. By comparison, Atlanta is No. 9 in drives and No. 12 in field goal attempts via drives on the same basis.
The likely reason the Hawks took a chance on Kuminga: For as eager as they are to attack the basket, they currently rank No. 22 in field goal percentage on drives.
With a clear desire to create penetration and a lack of efficiency when doing so, the door is wide open for Kuminga to instantly fill a void. If he succeeds in doing so, then the opportunity to expand his game within Quin Snyder's system should present itself.
There are likely going to be similar non-negotiables to what he encountered with the Warriors—namely defensive consistency and improved three-point shooting—but there's still more room to grow.
Kuminga will need to complement Johnson, as well as starters Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels, and Onyeka Okongwu. The difference between then and now, however, is that his current team actually wants to explore the range of his potential specific to what he does—and not just what he doesn't do.
Though most agree that Kuminga shoulders his share of the blame for what went wrong with the Warriors, one can only hope he can play out a more fruitful career with the Hawks.