Jonathan Kuminga
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Jonathan Kuminga of the Atlanta Hawks.
The relationship between Steve Kerr and Jonathan Kuminga has always been complicated, but they finally had closure at the trade deadline. Kerr opened up about his personal feelings on Kuminga before the Atlanta Hawks defeated the Golden State Warriors on Saturday.
Kuminga faced his former team for the first time since they traded him to the Hawks, It didn’t go well for the former Warriors player after missing his first eight shots. He scored his lone two points toward the end of the game when the outcome had already been decided.
In Atlanta’s 126-110 win over Golden State, Kuminga finished with two points, four rebounds and two assists in 22 minutes off the bench. He has cooled down since playing well in his first three games in a Hawks uniform. He’s averaging 6.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists on 32.3% from the field in his last four games.
BrickCenter
JONATHAN KUMINGA REVENGE GAME 🔥
🧱 2 PTS 🧱 2 TOV 🧱 1-9 FG
Proved Steve Kerr right 😭
Kerr Gets Honest About Relationship With Kuminga
Before Saturday’s tip-off, Kerr spoke to reporters to discuss his relationship with Kuminga on and off the court during the player’s tenure at the Bay Area. The four-time NBA champion coach had a surprising answer regarding their relationship outside of basketball.
“I like Jonathan. We always got along. … On a personal level, he was great. He’s a really good guy, got along well. We had our fair share of conversations about basketball that, you know, we had our differences. But on a personal level, we all root for him here,” Kerr said, via Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area.
However, it was a different story on the court because they were unable to get what they wanted from each other.
“The basketball part was the hard part. We couldn’t quite offer him what he needed, and vice versa,” Kerr said. “We were a championship team. He needed, really, a lot of freedom and 35 minutes to be able to make mistakes and learn, because he came in with very little experience. And we just couldn’t offer him that.”
At the end of the day, Kerr admitted that the best he could do for Kuminga was give him 25 minutes off the bench. However, the young player didn’t like that role for his career.
Kuminga Done With Warriors Talk
It has been more than a month since Kuminga and Buddy Hield was traded by Golden State to the Hawks in exchange for Kristaps Porzingis. The 23-year-old forward has had enough of the talk from his former team. He just wants to focus on his current team and help them win games.
“I’m not worried about the past,” Kuminga said. “I’m here, I’m very happy where I’m at. We’re doing great, and our goal is to get whatever we want to get. That comes down to us as a team, and I think that’s just my main focus going forward throughout my whole career and throughout my time with my teammates here.”
Since the Hawks acquired Kuminga, they have a 14-5 record. They are also undefeated at 7-0 with Kuminga on the lineup. Due to their recent 11-game win streak, the Hawks have climbed to sixth in the East standings.