Atlanta Is Caught Up In Kuminga-Mania. Will It Last?

Sometimes, a change of scenery is all it takes for a breath of fresh air.

One look at Jonathan Kuminga in a Hawks jersey says it all: This young man is having a blast in his new city. And Atlanta, at the moment, can’t get enough of him.

How much does Atlanta love their new acquisition? They adore him so much that they’re chanting another team’s name while Kuminga is playing. This scene unfolded during Sunday’s matchup between the Hawks and the Blazers. As the 23-year-old prepared to take a free throw, the crowd inside State Farm Arena chanted, “THANK YOU, WARRIORS!”

Kuminga, of course, was drafted by Golden State in 2021; at the end of rookie campaign, he was celebrating with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson as the Steve Kerr-era Warriors won their fourth NBA title. At the time, Warriors fans saw plenty of potential in the G League Ignite alum, who showed flashes of athleticism and versatile shot-making.

Five years later, that potential looked like it was still largely untapped. Kuminga could never quite take the next step towards stardom, even after Thompson departed for Dallas and left a significant void in the scoring department. Contractual disputes in the offseason, not to mention clashes with Kerr, made it even more unlikely that Kuminga would stick around for the long haul.

Kuminga left the Warriors as a stale act, but in Hotlanta, he has risen like a phoenix from the ashes. In his first three games with the Hawks, Kuminga has averaged 21.3 ppg, 7.7 rpg, and 3.3 apg. Kuminga’s addition bolsters an already loaded Atlanta frontcourt, which boasts first-time All-Star Jalen Johnson, steadily improving big man Onyeka Okongwu, and former no. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher.

Small wonder, then, that Hawks fans are pumped to see Kuminga donning the red and white. In fact, commentators are going bananas for the young man as well. Late in the Hawks-Blazers matchup on Sunday, with the Hawks up 129-99, Kuminga caught a pass from Gabe Vincent and threw down a vicious dunk. “Oh my goodness! Stop everything!” Hawks play-by-play commentator Bob Rathbun exclaimed.

Dominique Wilkins, the former Hawks main man who now serves as color analyst, added: “Thank you, Golden State Warriors. We appreciate it.”

Will Kuminga-mania last in Atlanta? That’s up to him.