Whenever the conversation turned to the league’s brightest two-way forwards, Jonathan Kuminga’s name rarely surfaced. He flashed his talent in stretches with the Golden State Warriors, but never received the consistent role needed to fully showcase his ceiling. After a statement debut and a string of strong outings with the Atlanta Hawks, that perception may finally be changing.

Across his first two games in Atlanta, Kuminga has averaged 22.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 3.5 assists, while shooting 66.7% from the field and 57.1% from three in just 27.1 minutes per game. For a 23-year-old forward still learning a new system, that level of production and efficiency is hard to ignore.

Kuninga’s performance was nothing short of stellar. In less than 25 minutes, he dropped a game-high 27 points on 9-of-12 shooting to lead all scorers while also registering seven rebounds and four assists, finishing with a +16 plus/minus rating. With such strong production coming off the bench, the Hawks cruised to a commanding 119-98 win at home, breaking their three-game losing streak.

The reaction from fans was immediate and passionate. On one hand, where fans wholeheartedly appreciated Kuminga for his confident showing, others blatantly threw shades to the personnel for wasting such a player on the sidelines and never exploring his full potential.

“Will never forget what Kerr did to Kuminga,” one fan wrote.

Another fan wrote, “As sure as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, some folks are going to say, 'Well Kuminga didn’t do this for Golden State….' Well, to that I say this, it’s hard to do anything from the bench.”

Additionally, there were some reactions that directly called out coach Kerr and the Warriors system for never using Kuminga’s natural traits in the right manner.

What’s clear is that the Hawks suddenly have a new dynamic to their identity. With Kuminga emerging as a versatile two-way threat alongside players like Dyson Daniels and Jalen Johnson, Atlanta now boasts multiple wings capable of impacting the game on both ends of the floor.

So, if Kuminga continues to deliver game-changing performances in such a multifaceted manner, don’t be surprised if the Hawks push hard for a top-six seed in the Eastern Conference.

Whether there’s enough time for an unexpected playoff surge remains to be seen, but Kuminga is surely motivated enough to show that he is indeed one of those talents to keep an eye on in the coming weeks.