Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody have taken on a very different and unique role with the Warriors compared to other rookies drafted in the lottery.
As the No. 7 and No. 14 overall draft picks in the 2021 NBA Draft, the young rooks have kind of taken a seat in the back while still being able to watch stars like Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green take the wheel.
Warriors general manager Bob Myers explained the special impact Steph specifically has on Kuminga and Moody in their different, but important first year in the league.
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“They’re both doing really well,” Myers told reporters on Thursday. “They both care. We find it invaluable to have people like Steph, I mean I talked to Steph after the game and I told him the genuine joy he has for his teammates is so rare. And those players are so lucky to have a superstar kind of guiding them without an agenda. So they’re pretty fortunate.”
Usually, players are chosen early in the draft to drastically change and transform a franchise. Their way of learning and adapting to the NBA is by actually playing -- a lot.
Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham, the No. 1 overall pick in that same 2021 NBA Draft, is averaging 15.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.2 assists in 32.1 minutes per game.
Similar situation for Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green, the No. 2 overall pick, who is averaging 14.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists in just over 30 minutes per game.
Golden State Warriors
But for JK and Moody, that hasn’t necessarily been the case. Their way of learning is through watching, listening, taking notes and observing some of the best to ever play the game. And they both have front-row tickets to do so.
Of course, that can be credited to many things. Golden State (40-13) has the second-best record in the league with an already-talented squad.
Meanwhile, Detroit has the second-worst record in the entire league and Houston sits at dead last in the Western Conference.
“Every rookie has to run his own race,” Myers said. “So these guys are running their own race. I think for Jonathan, seeing some of his contemporaries get a lot more latitude is probably hard, which is OK. He has the luxury, as does Moses, of playing for a team that’s doing better in the standings. I think for both of them, they’re getting to grow up in a good place. And we’re giving them the best chance.”
Kuminga has already turned some heads with some of the most impressive dunks you might ever see from a 19-year-old rookie. He’s averaging seven points and 2.6 rebounds in 12.8 minutes per game.
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Moody is averaging 3.2 points and 1.4 points in just under 10 minutes per game, but had his best game on Tuesday vs. the San Antonio Spurs with 20 points, including shooting 6-of-10 from deep, and collecting seven rebounds. Only Curry (seven) hit more threes in a game as a Warriors rookie.
“Eventually, they’re going to have to play at some point more,” Myers said. “And they are playing and Steve is doing a good job balancing that. But that may happen just like it did with Jordan [Poole], you know, one good night, one bad night, two bad nights, one good night. The game the other night, from a front-office standpoint, that was fun for me. I like it when we win any game, but we don’t get to see the young guys maybe as much as some other high picks.”
One thing is for certain, the future is bright for both rookies as long as they keep learning the Warriors' way.