Warriors rookies Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody are in the NBA Finals for the very first time -- something not many players are able to experience so fresh in the league.
Now entering the Finals for the seventh time in his 18-year career, Golden State veteran Andre Iguodala hopes they take advantage of all the moments he never did. He doesn’t want the two young Warriors to take anything for granted as the Finals get underway, he told reporters during Media Day in San Francisco on Wednesday.
“Well, we expect kids to just take the world when we say they’re supposed to. You know what I mean?” Iguodala said when asked what Kuminga and Moody could get out of the experience. “They’re 19-year-old kids. Historically, they aren’t supposed to take on everything that comes with being in the Finals.”
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Kuminga is 19, while Moody just turned 20 years old. Despite their age, they’ve contributed to the Warriors’ playoff run in a variety of ways. But it can be easy to get caught up in the bright lights and forget to cherish every moment, Iguodala warned.
“They’re supposed to be on college campuses learning about themselves, learning who they are as people, learning what they like, learning what they don't like, instead of these guys making five-plus million dollars a year, got all the pressures, the madness of having money and being in the spotlight,” Iguodala continued. “You can become jaded. You can start taking these things for granted.
“It's not their fault. I'm guilty of it, just being in the Finals so many times where I feel nothing. I just know it's my job to go out and win. Really no joy in it, it's just going to work.”
Golden State Warriors
Now, Iguodala wishes he could go back and do things differently and doesn’t want the two rookies making the same mistakes.
“Trying to get them to understand you really want to soak up everything that is here, like take pictures,” he said. “In some Finals I have went to, I have no memorabilia, I don't even remember it. I look back, I wish I would have did this, I wish I would have did that. So just giving them the feedback there.”
RELATED: Steph's advice to young Warriors teammates ahead of Finals
Iguodala knows Kuminga and Moody are more than capable of performing on the NBA’s biggest stage. It’s recognizing the gravity of the moment while they’re in it that’s most important.
“They both work hard, both put in the work,” Iguodala said. “Just making sure they enjoy the moment, understand this isn't really a given, and it's really, really hard to get here.”