The Golden State Warriors‘ roster boasts an intriguing mix; its title-winning vets are flanked by a bevy of high-upside youngsters. Unfortunately, former No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman and this year’s lottery duo of Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody have done little beyond watching from the sidelines in 2021-22.
While Wiseman and Kuminga have been out with injuries, Moody simply hasn’t cracked Steve Kerr’s rotation. After finishing sixth in the NCAA in minutes played last season, the 19-year-old has spent a grand total of just 10 minutes on the court over the Warriors’ first five games.
Obviously, being stuck to the bench is no way for a young player to develop. So, on Friday, Golden State made a move to get him the court time he so desperately needs. Per an announcement from the team, Moody has been assigned to Golden State’s G League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors.
The move made him just the second member of the 2021 lottery class to hit the G League this season; San Antonio Spurs rookie Josh Primo was also sent to developmental.
Not a Demotion
The way in which Moody’s first professional season has played out so far may strike some as surprising. Especially after Warriors owner Joe Lacob spoke so highly of him, as well as Kuminga, over the summer.
“I’ll just tell you they were both clearly in our top 10,” Lacob told The Athletic in July. “We feel like we got really fortunate on Kuminga. Then with Moody, I think it’s pretty common knowledge we were seriously considering him at seven. So it’s pretty astonishing to me that we could get him at 14.”
He went on to rave about Moody’s “natural instinct to play with force.”
Despite being held in such high esteem, though, Moody hasn’t played. But that probably has more to do with the players around him and the team’s overall mission than anything he’s done (or hasn’t done). Golden State may have been a lottery team last season, but this is still the Steph-Klay-Dray Warriors.
Young stars aside, this is largely a veteran club and one that’s firmly in win-now mode. And that’s not exactly conducive to letting first and second-year players get out on the court and learn by making mistakes.
As such, Moody’s assignment shouldn’t be looked at as a demotion, but instead an opportunity to go through some of the highs and lows he needs to in order to become part of the Warriors’ championship formula.
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Santa Cruz Set To Tip-Off Exhibition Slate
Moody is joining the Warriors’ affilate just in time for its first preseason game. On Friday night, Santa Cruz will play host to the Mexico City Capitanes, who are finally entering the developmental league after three years in the Mexican LNBP and a canceled G League campaign in 2020-21.
The same two teams will square off again at Kaiser Permanente Arena on Saturday. Santa Cruz will begin its regular season at home on November 5 against the Stockton Kings.
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Warriors Send Lottery Pick to Santa Cruz Affiliate