Celtics' win over Hawks proves they dodged a Jonathan Kuminga bullet

Saying the Boston Celtics were supposed to be in a gap year is beating a dead horse at this point, but it's worth bringing up here because Jonathan Kuminga was an option (not a reported one) with Jayson Tatum out for more of the season.

His talent is undeniable, he and Golden State were all but divorced, and the Celtics needed a temporary Tatum replacement. More than that, anyone who remembers the beginning of the Anfernee Simons era knows Boston was trying to save money by trading him. There's a case to be made that Kuminga was perfect.

But, not once did we see any rumors tying Kuminga to the Celtics, and after nights like last night, it became clear Boston played it right by steering clear of the young wing. Not that's not just because of how badly he played, but it's become clear from how strong their wing depth is that they never needed someone like Kuminga.

This season has proven Kuminga was not necessary

First things first, Kuminga was pretty bad during the Celtics game last night.

But hey, one game does not represent a player as a whole. Kuminga is definitely capable of playing better than what happened last night. However, the Celtics' wing depth showed itself, especially in a game where it had to with Jaylen Brown out due to Achilles tendonitis.

Not only did they start three wings with Tatum, Sam Hauser, and Baylor Scheierman, but among the game's biggest standouts was Jordan Walsh, whose abilities came in quite handy against a team littered with wings like the Hawks.

What's been great about Boston's wing depth is that they always tend to have at least one standout outside of the Jays. It could be Walsh or Hauser or Scheierman or Hugo Gonzalez or Ron Harper Jr. Their rotation is so good that the Celtics had to bench Josh Minott only because their other wings fit better with them than he did (despite him clearly being good enough to be a rotation player).

All of this isn't to further emphasize a point that Celtics fans already know too well about, but to prove that, as talented as Kuminga is, Boston was right to steer clear of him simply because there wasn't enough room for him and there was no telling if he would have been better than any of the other players who play the same position as him.

It's not too late for Kuminga, and it's very possible he will figure out how to turn his talent into something worthwhile. It's just clear the Celtics had no use for him.