Jonathan Kuminga still using Warriors era as backbone for Hawks success

Though Jonathan Kuminga’s time with the Golden State Warriors bitterly came to an end via a trade-deadline deal, he’s still using his time in San Francisco to help him on the Atlanta Hawks. He recently said that his time learning from Draymond Green has given him lifelong insight about how to be the best defender he can be. It helped him read the game at a very high level.

“I’m gonna give my praise to Draymond,” Kuminga said via Kevin Chouinard of Hawks.com. “Growing up around him, watching him.. I’d seen him do that so many times… And he’s one of the best at doing things like that.”

Even after leaving the walls of Golden State, Kuminga is still using the knowledge he picked up from Green.

Jonathan Kuminga credits Draymond Green for some of his defensive instincts

The play Kuminga was asked about (and credited Green for) took place in the final 20 seconds of Game 2 -- a contest the Hawks won by a mere two points (largely thanks to their defense.

As Jalen Brunson was dribbling, trying to get past Nickeil Alexander-Walker, he found a tiny bit of space. But Kuminga shoved Alexander-Walker back into position, and he managed to get the steal on Brunson.

Atlanta then corralled the loose ball, and Alexander-Walker found Jalen Johnson on the fast break. He threw down a monster jam, putting the Hawks up by four points with 10.2 seconds remaining in the game.

Obviously, Game 2 concluded with Mikal Bridges missing a potential game-winning mid-range jumper, and the Hawks took home the victory.

Then, in the next game, Kuminga’s fourth-quarter defense was a huge reason why the Hawks were able to win a second straight game, taking a 2-1 lead over the New York Knicks, with yet another home game coming up in Game 4.

Atlanta now holds pole position in the series, and Kuminga’s on-court impact cannot be ignored. His scoring has been essential, but his defense may be more important at this point.

He has been all over the place on that end of the floor, in the best possible way. And according to the man himself, Green has been a huge reason why he’s felt so comfortable on the defensive end.

Though the Kuminga era in Golden State didn’t end up panning out, he’s still using a lot of the things he learned from the Warriors, and Green, in particular, now that he’s donning the red and yellow of Atlanta and fighting to take down New York in Round 1.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow