The end of Jonathan Kuminga's first period with the Atlanta Hawks has finished in nightmare fashion, with the former Golden State Warriors forward and his teammates left embarrassed by a brutal Game 6 loss to the New York Knicks in their first-round playoff series.
Kuminga and the Hawks were looking to force a Game 7 back at Madison Square Garden, only to be obliterated in historic fashion during a 140-89 season-ending loss on their home floor.
Jonathan Kuminga and Hawks endure nightmare end to their season
Having been traded by the Warriors to the Hawks at the mid-season deadline, Kuminga enjoyed a strong start outside of some injury concerns. His performances in Games 2 and 3 earlier in the series were incredibly notable, giving Atlanta home-court advantage and a genuine chance of a surprise first-round victory,
The Knicks rallied and pulled off three-straight wins though, with Thursday's victory including a record 47-point lead at half time after the Hawks had jumped to an 11-9 lead. It was a beatdown the likes of which have rarely been seen in NBA playoff history, leaving Kuminga and Atlanta with a sour taste in their mouth entering the offseason.
To make matters worse for Kuminga, the 23-year-old finished as a game-worst -44 in less than 23 minutes off the bench. The young forward finished with 11 points, two rebounds and three assists, shooting 3-of-7 from the floor and 4-of-6 from the free-throw line.
Thursday's performance came after Kuminga shot just 7-of-20 from the floor and 1-of-11 from 3-point range combined over Games 4 and 5, having now finished as a -62 over the final three games of the series.
Jonathan Kuminga's future could come into question again this offseason
After going through a long restricted free agency process with Golden State last season, Kuminga's future could be a source of speculation again this summer as the Hawks decide on his $24.3 million team option.
There's already been suggestions of Atlanta declining that option to re-sign Kuminga on a new and lucrative long-term extension, but the franchise may be rethinking that based on an underwhelming final three games from the former seventh overall pick.
The Warriors will have their own decision to make following February's trade, with Kristaps Porzingis set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Kuminga's inconsistent play and Porzingis' health/injury concerns means more time may be required to fully evaluate the trade, assuming both players remain at their respective teams entering next season.
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