Dubs-Era Detractors Don’t Depreciate Jonathan Kuminga’s Value

It’s been 54 days since Jonathan Kuminga was a member of the Golden State Warriors and he still lives in their head, rent-free.

Atlanta Hawks: Dubs-Era Detractors Don’t Depreciate Jonathan Kuminga’s Value

When Kuminga first touched down in Georgia’s capital, finding himself employed by an Atlanta Hawks that expressed more belief in him, there were understandable questions about his fit and future. When someone is joining a new company of any type, that’s only natural.

At the same time, it’s clear that the concerns were based less on reality than narrative. Keep in mind, during Kuminga’s Bay Area tenure, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr’s constant criticism of his offensive profile led many to doubt that he could be a viable piece on a championship-contender. Kerr’s status in the league even made some take his assessments as the gospel, ignoring the situation and context. Indeed, Kerr’s inability to truly appreciate his game even led Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. to take shots at him.

The storylines driven by Kerr and Dunleavy are so pervasive that even across the country, every shot Kuminga takes feels heavy. Every mistake that he makes is magnified. So much so that a recent two-game stretch (a drop in the bucket) that saw him go 3-14 from the field was used as confirmation bias. Forget the fact that he was averaging 10.5 points in 20.5 minutes per game heading into those contests, shooting 45.8 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from 3. Never mind that Atlanta’s Congolese ambassador was averaging 18.4 points, 11.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.4 steals per 36 minutes.

Rising Above The Noise

Perhaps Kuminga is aware of the recent criticism. Though he doesn’t have a public Twitter/X profile, he’d have to be living under a rock so as not to hear the noise.

Either way, it’s unfortunate for a player who turned 23 in October. It might even be disheartening, as players typically want to be embraced by the home fans. This may be even more true of Kuminga after years of being ridiculed in Golden State.