ATLANTA — It took Jonathan Kuminga 175 regular-season games with the Golden State Warriors to record his first performance in which he scored at least 27 points.
With his new team, the Atlanta Hawks, Kuminga needed just one game to accomplish that feat.
His Hawks debut could not have gone any better.
Kuminga delivered a masterful performance Tuesday night, coming off the bench to score 27 points, collect seven rebounds and deliver four assists. He did all that in only 24 minutes.
Oh, and the Hawks throttled the Washington Wizards, too, 119-98.
“I feel great,” Kuminga said afterward. “A new team. Just having those coaches and teammates that trusted me, they were pushing me throughout all my rehab to get to this point. I think I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them. So, I appreciate them for being there every single day with me, and I’m very excited to be here.”
JONATHAN KUMINGA IN HIS HAWKS DEBUT:
27 PTS – SEASON HIGH
9-12 FG | 3-4 3-PT FG
7 REB | 4 AST
2 STLWELCOME TO ATLANTA 🔥 pic.twitter.com/HXqr49Y0k8
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) February 25, 2026
The 23-year-old forward played so well — passing the ball quickly and willingly, hitting open jumpers and running the floor in transition — that his new coach, Quin Snyder, made a point of saying it’s important to keep expectations reasonable.
Kuminga won’t make nine of his 12 shots from the field every night, and, left unsaid, the Hawks won’t be playing cellar-dwelling teams like the Wizards on most nights. Tuesday’s game at State Farm Arena was a mismatch from the opening tipoff.
“I think he’s obviously a talented player,” Snyder said. “But I think the important thing for him is just what he did tonight. He let the game come to him, and it’s good to see him out there. I know it’s been awhile since he’s played.”
On Jan. 22, while playing for Golden State, Kuminga hyperextended his left knee and suffered a bone bruise. On Feb. 5, the Warriors traded Kuminga and Buddy Hield to Atlanta for Kristaps Porziņģis.
Kuminga missed Atlanta’s next six games.
He sure looked healthy Tuesday, though.
He scored his first bucket on a layup in transition. Less than a minute later, Atlanta’s Zaccharie Risacher grabbed a defensive rebound, sped up court and hurled the basketball ahead to Kuminga, who finished the play with a thunderous right-handed dunk. Atlanta led 22-13, and the rout was on.
It wasn’t all layups and dunks. Kuminga also sank three of the four 3-pointers he attempted, with all three of those makes on jumpers from the corners.
He said he felt nervous — but only for a little while.
“I got confidence from my teammates,” Kuminga said. “They told me not to worry about anything: ‘Just go out there and be you. Everything will fall through.’ I just had so many people in my ear telling me, ‘Go be you. Just go play. It’s basketball.’ The first two minutes, I was just thinking about it. But after that everything was cool.”
The only negative to the entire night from Atlanta’s point of view was that All-Star forward Jalen Johnson left the game in the first quarter with a left hip flexor injury. Snyder said Johnson will be evaluated by doctors Wednesday, but Snyder added that he doesn’t think the injury is serious.
Kuminga’s performance overshadowed almost everything else.
His debut couldn’t have gone any better.
“It was great,” Kuminga said. “I was just excited to be out there with the guys.”