Getty Draymond Green reacts to a play in a game against the Dallas Mavericks.
Golden State Warriors rookie Moses Moody will get to take the floor with two of the NBA’s greatest scorers in Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, but it was another Warriors veteran that seemed to catch his attention.
The team’s No. 14 overall pick opened up this week about the chance to play alongside Draymond Green and learn from the wisdom of the 10-year veteran. Moody is expected to step into a significant role in his first year with the Warriors in a season that comes with some high expectations, and so far the 19-year-old’s play has impressed his veteran teammates, Green included.
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Moody Looks Forward to Playing Alongside ‘Old Head’
Appearing on 95.7 The Game’s “Morning Roast” this week, Moody said he can’t wait to hit the floor with his new teammates and believes he has a lot to learn from Green. Moody compared Green to his “old head” relatives who can help set him straight when needed.
“Honestly, I’m extremely excited,” Moody said. “That’s probably the — not to say the player I’m looking forward to most, but I’m really excited to be his rookie. I’m from Little Rock. I got a lot of old heads in my family. I’m not for all the sugar coating. I’d rather have somebody who’s gonna cut it to me straight.
“I’m not for all the sugar coating.”
Moses Moody has a unique reason he can’t wait to be Draymond Green’s teammate t.co/Ih55RqwLkw
“I feel like he’s a real dude, real authentic dude who’s gonna be able to do that and have love behind it.”
As Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area noted, Moody has already shown a lot of maturity in his game during Summer League appearances for the Warriors, and insiders believe he will step into a more significant role than higher pick Jonathan Kuminga, at least in his rookie season.
Meeting His Teammates
Moody has already gotten the chance to meet some of his veteran teammates. Both Green and Steph Curry made it out to Las Vegas to see Moody and Kuminga compete in Summer League, and the pair of teenagers earned some high marks from Warriors head coach Steve Kerr.
While Kerr wouldn’t say where either Kuminga or Moody would land in the rotation, he spoke highly of both players.
Warriors development coach Kris Weems breaks down Jonathan Kuminga’s potential role this year and the key to the rookie contributing right away (via @GrantLiffmann)
“I think it’s impossible to say one way or the other,” Kerr told The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami when asked either rookie will see heavy minutes.
“You’ve got to see someone in practice every day to determine if they’re ready to play or not.
“But I’m excited. They’re both really good prospects. They both look the part, for sure. I really respect the job that Bob [Myers] and Joe [Lacob] and the staff did.”
After facing months of rumors hinting that the Warriors would package together their lottery picks together with promising 20-year-old center James Wiseman to trade for an established NBA star, the team ultimately decided to invest in their youth. In addition to taking Kuminga and Moody, the team brought in some new coaches with experience in player development. That includes Dejan Milojević who was a major part in developing future league MVP Nikola Jokić while he was a coach for Jokić’s Serbian team.
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