What Jonathan Kuminga’s new teammates think of his potential

Jonathan Kuminga could be close to making his debut with Atlanta Hawksas he was upgraded to suspect before their game against the Washington Wizards. The 23-year-old forward will soon have a chance to showcase his skills with his new team, and the players around him seem excited about what he can bring to the floor.

Jalen Johnson is one of them.

“JK is a great player,” Johnson told reporters at practice. “I think he’s somebody who’s hungry, and we need that on our team. Adding him is only going to do good things for us. I’m excited to go up and down with him in transition. He’s great defensively. So to be able to add another young guy to the group, I’m excited about it, and I know he’s excited about it.”

Kuminga showed with the Warriors that his athleticism is one of the best attributes of his game and he uses it to get to the basket with ease. That skill will only help make things easier for the Hawks and maybe make their shots easier.

CJ McCollum has seen Kuminga more times than most, and also knows what he can bring to the floor.

“I’ve been playing against him being in the Western Conference for a long time,” McCollum said. “He’s athletic, explosive and a very talented player. I think he was dealt a bad hand in Golden State. I don’t know that situation, to pay him $20 million and not play with him is interesting, but I think watching this situation is a new opportunity for him to grow and develop as a player.

“Obviously, his talent is unquestionable. It’s about joining a team that has had so much change in the last month and a half, getting to know everyone and going from there.”

With the Warriors, Kuminga didn’t have much room to make mistakes because the team always wanted to compete. With the Hawks, Kuminga should have room to make those mistakes.

As with any player who joins a new team, Kuminga will go through an acclimatization period to learn his teammates and where he needs to be when on the field. Head coach Quin Snyder will also have to find lineups who work with Kuming and give them the best chance to use his talents.

With the Hawks looking to make a playoff run in the second half of the season, adding Kuminga to the fold should help their chances, and the hope is that he will prove to be not only a key player over the next two months, but for the future as well.