Before he was traded to the Atlanta Hawks, many could see Jonathan Kuminga's palpable talent. The athleticism and touch around the rim was quite promising, but the only problem was that his talent never quite translated in Golden State. This should familiar for Boston Celtics fans because that's what the Jeff Green era was like during his time in Boston.
Green is one of those players where if you watched his highlights in his prime in a Celtics uniform, you could have sworn he looked a perennial All-Star.
And yet, if you ask anyone who remembered Green, they'll tell you that he never reached that level and was never close. Even worse was that, despite being a one-man highlight reel when he had it going, his problem was never consistent, making him so frustrating to watch, especially because his inconsistency affected Boston's ability to wins games.
It wasn't entirely his fault, as his underwhelming tenure in Boston can be chalked up to poor timing, but it was frustrating to see someone as talented as Green never put it together. That's why it's so easy to see how Kuminga compares to him.
Three games into his first postseason with the Hawks, it's clear Kuminga is not the modern Jeff Green.
Kuminga has been balling for the Hawks
Now Kuminga actually wasn't too bad in his last postseason in Golden State, but they only started depending on him once Stephen Curry went down during the 2025 Western Conference Semifinals. However, at the same time, once Curry was out of the picture, the Warriors' elimination was inevitable.
It's been different with the Hawks. Kuminga didn't have the best playoff debut, but quickly made up for it in Game 2.
The good times only continued in Game 3. Kuminga put up 21 points and four rebounds while shooting nine-for-14 from the field with two threes to boot. Oh, and if that's not enough, he also basically sealed the game for the Hawks.
Hawks took away the pass to Brunson, so it should've allowed Hart to inbound and cut right to the hoop. KAT came over too far to the sideline, but Hart still had a driving lane that he didn't take. Once Brunson got stuck on the right side, great double by Kuminga pic.twitter.com/gDbm2QB18W
— BBALLBREAKDOWN (@bballbreakdown) April 24, 2026
When his team needed him to, Kuminga put up numbers and made winning plays. Something Jeff Green never did.
For some time, Kuminga used to divide both Warriors and NBA fans because despite how flashy he was, no one was quite sure if he would ever put up worthwhile numbers. Well, playing on an underdog with not much experience against a team that made the ECF is the perfect chance to prove the doubters and he's doing it.
Hence, all comparisons to the frustrating Celtics alum should die once and for all.
Funny thing is, there's really nothing wrong with being Jeff Green 2.0. Sure, he never became the player the Celtics hoped he would be, but he still played in the NBA for two decades and won a title with Denver.
But in such a short time, it's become pretty clear that Kuminga is primed for better things than Green ever was with how well his game has been able to translate as a Hawk.
Add us as a preferred source on Google