CJ McCollum, Jonathan Kuminga are making themselves at home with Hawks

Atlanta Hawks guard CJ McCollum. Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

CJ McCollum, Jonathan Kuminga are making themselves at home with Hawks

By Simoun Redoblado | Last updated Apr 24, 2026 7:52 PM ET

A year ago, CJ McCollum was at home recovering from a bone bruise in his right foot. Jonathan Kuminga, meanwhile, was preparing for another postseason stint with the Golden State Warriors.

Look at them now, as comfortable as can be in the hot environment of Atlanta.

When McCollum and Kuminga joined the Hawks a few months ago, no one quite knew what to make of their potential value to the team. After all, the spotlight was on the franchise player who'd decided to move on: Trae Young, the four-time All-Star who had taken the Hawks to the Eastern Conference finals but could go no further.

CJ McCollum and Jonathan Kuminga are surpassing expectations

With Young still the talk of the town and Jalen Johnson making a name for himself, the acquisition of the 13-year veteran guard and Golden State's prodigal child wasn't exactly headline-worthy. Yet here they are, powering the sixth seed Hawks to a 2-1 series lead over a top-five offensive squad that is the New York Knicks.

On Thursday, McCollum was every bit the veteran leader that the Hawks needed, especially down the stretch. With 16.4 seconds left in the fourth quarter and the Knicks up 108-107 (after being down by 18 points earlier in the game), the former Lehigh Mountain Hawk remained unfazed. Keeping things simple, McCollum drove to the paint, got to his spot and swished a middy to give Atlanta the lead for good.

HAWKS WIN GAME 3! Atlanta Hawks beat New York 109-108, behind a GAME-WINNING middy from CJ McCollum, & a clutch stop!

Hawks lead Knicks, 2-1!

Who wins the series? pic.twitter.com/sceW3wOJkN
— Courtside Buzz (@CourtsideBuzzX) April 24, 2026

Pull-up jumpers near the free-throw line are about as fancy as McCollum will get. The offense of the 23-year-old Kuminga, on the other hand, is a crowd-pleaser. In his first playoff game inside State Farm Arena, Kuminga dazzled Hawks fans by showcasing his handles, soaring high for offensive rebounds and finishing in traffic.

CJ McCollum on Jonathan Kuminga:

"We're not up 2-1 without him. We're thankful to have and we'll make sure we take good care of him here in the A" pic.twitter.com/yWd1WoJJdZ
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) April 24, 2026

There's no doubt that Johnson is the future of this franchise, but in the here and now, McCollum and Kuminga are proving to be indispensable. Throughout the first three games of this first-round series, McCollum (27.0 PPG) is leading the Hawks in scoring, while Kuminga has the third-best offensive rating on the team. Both newcomers are also outperforming Johnson in terms of true shooting (where they're top-four) and effective field-goal percentage (where they're top-three).

Not bad for Damian Lillard's former No. 2 in Portland and Steve Kerr's not-so-successful project in the Bay Area. McCollum and Kuminga are right at home in Atlanta, and it doesn't look like they're switching zip codes any time soon.

Simoun Redoblado

Simoun Redoblado is a basketball and combat sports enthusiast. He has written opinion pieces, listicles, and feature pieces on the NBA, FIBA, Olympic Games, and the local basketball scene in his home country. A product of the University of the Philippines, Simoun dreams of becoming a play-by-play commentator someday.

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