ATLANTA (AP) — Jonathan Kuminga made his debut for the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night.
The Hawks acquired the high-flying forward and guard Buddy Hield in a trade that center Kristaps Porzingis to the Golden State Warriors at the trade deadline.
Kuminga checked in off the bench near the midway point of the first quarter and made an immediate impact against the woeful Washington Wizards.
He had a big grin after dunking off a fast break, and gave a tantalizing
glimpse of his wide-ranging talents with a 3-pointer, four assists, two rebounds and a steal during his first stint on the court.
Kuminga missed his first six games with the Hawks, sandwiched around the All-Star break, while recovering from a left knee bone bruise sustained in his closing weeks with the Warriors.
The No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 draft, Kuminga fell out of the playing rotation in Golden State and expressed a desire to be traded when his playing time dwindled.
At first, the Warriors indicated there weren't a lot of teams showing interest in Kuminga. But the Hawks stepped forward as a trading partner, parting ways with Porzingis after he played just 17 games during his only season in Atlanta because of injuries and illness.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr discounted any issues with Kuminga, even though the 23-year-old from the Democratic Republic of the Congo played in just seven of his last 38 games with Golden State.
He started the season as a starter, averaging 12.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game during his limited time on the court.
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