Peter Okereke
Through three games, the Atlanta Hawks have narrowly edged out the New York Knicks as they extended their series lead to 2-1. Game 3 was another nervous nail-biter at the end, but the Hawks were able to prevail in the end and win 109-108.
Several players have been instrumental to the team’s performance in the series, with one of them being Jonathan Kuminga and his impact off the bench.
Kuminga had a solid performance in Game 3, but some fans are still looking at a little move he made in Game 2 to help the Hawks steal one on the road.
On one of the final possessions where Nickeil Alexander-Walker swiped the ball from Knicks captain Jalen Brunson, Kuminga was seen nudging his teammate toward Brunson in an attempt to give him better positioning.
That tactic must have worked, because the Hawks got the steal and scored on the other end.
Jonathan Kuminga acknowledges Draymond Green for winning tactic vs. New York Knicks
After the game, Kuminga who will earn an average annual salary of $23,400,000 in the 2025-26 season, gave credit to Draymond Green for having the instinct to perform that play.
Speaking to journalist Kevin Chouinard after the matchup, Kuminga hailed Green as the source of that tactic.
“I’m going to give my praise to Draymond,” Kuminga said. “Growing up around him and watching him, I’ve seen him do that so many times. He’s one of the best at doing it.”
“It’s something I’m not going into the game thinking about, but seeing someone do it over time, sometimes it’s just going to click,” he continued. “Nickeil was still in a good position with him being able to get that steal, especially Nickeil with the way he was playing defense.”
Jonathan Kuminga has been around some of the better players who have played the game when he was with the Golden State Warriors, and there’s no surprise that he picked up a defensive tactic from Green, a former teammate.
It shows that the power forward is a sponge and is using the experience he has to try help the Hawks get an advantage in their matchup against the Knicks, which has gone well the past two games.
