Jonathan Kuminga has spent his five-year NBA career facing a question no athlete wants to hear: "What if?" What if the Golden State Warriors had featured Kuminga more on offense? What if a new team gave Kuminga the opportunities the Warriors refused to? And now: What if he works his way into the starting lineup with the Atlanta Hawks?
Some of those questions will never be answered, but Kuminga has a golden opportunity to definitively respond to the others during a perfect fit of a first-round series against the New York Knicks.
New York is a 53-win team that reached the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals and ranked No. 7 in the NBA in defensive rating in 2025-26. It's thus the heavy favorite heading into a first-round matchup with a Hawks team that has never been to the playoffs with the current core.
That alone makes this the perfect chance for Kuminga to step up and prove that he can compete against one of the best teams in the NBA.
What makes this a true career-defining opportunity, however, is the manner in which Atlanta matches up against New York. Franchise player Jalen Johnson will lead the Hawks into a series against one of the best defensive wing trios in the NBA in OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart, as well as a top-tier rim protector in Mitchell Robinson.
Based on the caliber of personnel that Kuminga will thus encounter when he's on the court, there has never been a better chance for him to prove he can live up to his potential as a scorer—or teammate.
Jonathan Kuminga can change career narrative against top-tier Knicks defense
In Anunoby, Bridges, and Hart, Kuminga will undoubtedly spend time attempting to score against three of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA. All three excel as isolation defenders, but the biggest challenge for Kuminga will be overcoming their elite capabilities in off-ball situations.
That will challenge him to not only create offense for himself, but prove that he can find openings as a complementary player when matched up against players who thrive at shutting off-ball scorers down.
If Kuminga struggles to overcome the obstacles in front of him, a difficult offseason will be awaiting him. He has a $24.8 million club option for the 2026-27 season, as well as potential competition for minutes next year in the form of Zaccharie Risacher and a potential incoming lottery pick.
If Kuminga steps up against the Knicks, however, then it would go a long way toward addressing the concerns about how he fits alongside Johnson—the seemingly clear-cut franchise player.
Having spent his Warriors career receiving limited minutes due to the manner in which his game complemented Stephen Curry's, addressing that same concern during his first half-season with the Hawks would be a blessing unto itself. Proving he can do so against a top-10 defensive team would be another feat entirely.
It's a tall task for Kuminga after being acquired by Atlanta during the 2025-26 season, but this is the opportunity he's been waiting for to define his future.
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