Warriors will utilize the G-League for Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga this season
The Golden State Warriors have title aspirations this season, and that means an elevated responsibility for every player on the roster. From the starters to the 15th man, if the opportunity comes to make an impact, it’s expected you’ll make the most of it. In reality, that’s a tall task for some of the younger players, most notably the two first-round rookies: Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody.
The best experience for younger players is ultimately minutes on the floor. With a Warriors roster bolstered with veterans this season, it can be difficult for Moody and Kuminga to crack the rotation on a consistent basis. And yet, they both need playing time on the court; practice simply won’t suffice.
Per Steve Kerr on Monday, Golden State will look to take advantage of the G-League to give Moody and Kuminga valuable playing time throughout the season. Furthermore, Kerr hinted at when the Warriors would look to strategically give Moody and Kuminga some run in Santa Cruz:
“There will be plenty of nights where we’re off and in town in the Bay, and Santa Cruz has a game, and there will be plenty of nights where our young guys will go down and play.”
With the regular season consisting of a more packed schedule, there are minimal opportunities for teams to engage in a full practice or scrimmages, compared to training camp or the preseason. This is where time with the Santa Cruz Warriors can prove fruitful, especially for Kuminga:
“He needs to scrimmage badly. He is a young guy, who just missed three weeks of training camp. It is not ideal so he needs to play. He scrimmaged today. He was really good — his physicality, length, speed. It’s all really prominent, especially on the defensive end. It’s all really impressive. He needs to play and needs as many reps as possible so we’ll be giving him those reps in practice any time we scrimmage or post-practice with the other guys.”
Per Anthony Slater of The Athletic, Golden State officially assigned both Moody and Kuminga to the Santa Cruz Warriors, and they are set to play the G-League ignite Wednesday at Chase Center:
The goal for the Warriors should be for Kuminga and Moody to develop not solely for the future but also to make an immediate impact come later this season. Though Moody has played sparingly in four appearances so far, he’s already proven to be a capable shooter and solid defender. In his first game in Santa Cruz last Friday, Moody finished with 17 points, four assists, three steals, and two rebounds.
Kuminga flashed his potential in the Summer League, and his first career basket from beyond the arc gave a glimpse of a bright future ahead. The 19-year-old rookie is still raw, and time with the Santa Cruz Warriors will only help him get more accustomed to the NBA game.
As the season progresses to the point where a win here or there can shape the postseason standings, it could come down to Golden State’s role players being the x-factor down the stretch. In those moments, you want players ready to take on that responsibility if need be.
If that proves to be Kuminga or Moody, it will be beneficial to have them prepared for the larger stakes once the time comes. That preparation starts with some time in the G-League, and every minute of playing time there will be impactful to both rookies’ development.
(Photo credit: AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)