Everything Jonathan Kuminga Said About 1st Game vs. Steve Kerr, Warriors Since Hawks Trade
Atlanta Hawks forward Jonathan Kuminga didn't want to dwell on old drama following his first game against the Golden State Warriors since his trade from the team.
Kuminga told reporters he's "not worried about the past" and "very happy where I'm at."
"I'm doing great. Our goal is to get whatever we want to get," he said, per The Athletic's Nick Friedell. "And that comes up to us as a team, and I think that's just my main focus going forward throughout my whole career, throughout me and my teammates here. So whatever is being said, or whatever's going on, that's not my problem anymore. I'm into the next chapter with my teammates and we're trying to build something here."
The Hawks took control in the third quarter, outscoring the Warriors by 19 points, and secured a 126-110 win on Saturday.
Kuminga didn't register much of an impact. In 22 minutes of action, he had two points on 1-of-9 shooting along with four rebounds, two assists and one steal.
This was his worst performance in a Hawks uniform so far. Otherwise, the 23-year-old has shown some encouraging signs in Atlanta. Through seven games, his scoring average (13.0 points) isn't much better than before the trade (12.1 points), but he has been a much better shooter (50.0 percent overall and 46.7 percent on threes).
In general, Kuminga is on his way toward justifying the level of self-belief that helped to push him out of the Bay Area.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr summed up why things turned sour between the team and the 2021 first-round pick when he said Saturday they "couldn't quite offer him what he needed and vice versa."
"We were a championship team — he needed really a lot of freedom and 35 minutes to make mistakes and grow and learn because he came in with very little experience, and we just couldn't offer him that — bottom line," Kerr said.
The relationship between Kuminga and Golden State turned a bit acrimonious as he was out of the lineup for extended stretches.
The Hawks have primarily deployed him off the bench, which isn't a departure from his Warriors usage. Still, the vibes seemed to have improved in a big way.
Kuminga is probably frustrated with how his Golden State tenure unfolded. Having gotten a change of scenery, there's no need for him to let any of those feelings linger, though.
