Kerr reveals what Warriors want Kuminga, Moody to learn in G League originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
After their 20-4 start, Steve Kerr and the Warriors‘ focus is on one thing and one thing only this season — winning a championship.
But the future also is incredibly bright for the Warriors, with rookies Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody and second-year big man James Wiseman hopefully forming the nucleus of the next era of Warriors basketball.
Kuminga and Moody have been splitting time between the Warriors and the G League Santa Cruz Warriors this season. Both rookies had impressive games over the weekend in Santa Cruz and were recalled Monday for the Warriors’ game vs. the Orlando Magic. Before that game, an eventual 126-95 win, Kerr explained what the Warriors want Kuminga and Moody to get out of their G Leauge experience, admitting the Warriors will keep shuttling them back and forth.
“I think the biggest thing is just getting reps and understanding what wins and what doesn’t,” Kerr said. “They are both, obviously, really talented guys or they wouldn’t have been picked in the lottery. What you want from young players is a recognition of winning plays and repeating those types of plays over and over again.
“By that, I mean making the right defensive read, making the right rotation and then recognizing that if you do that over and over and over again as a team, then your team has a chance to win. That’s the hardest part for rookies to understand when they come into this league, especially for guys who didn’t play much in college. The NBA game can swing wildly on one play if you don’t execute.
“The whole point of being a good team is to execute over and over again and try to wear a team down with that execution. So recognizing that in-game is very important. It’s similar to young quarterbacks in the NFL not turning the ball over. It’s not taking too much risk, stuff like that. There’s just got to be a feel for what wins at this level. It’s not anything you can just tell someone, they have to actually feel it.”
Both Kuminga and Moody saw action in the fourth quarter of Monday’s blowout win against the Magic.
Kuminga played all 12 minutes of the fourth quarter, scoring nine points on 4-for-7 shooting, while Moody played four minutes and scored two points.
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Kerr was impressed with what he saw from Kuminga in the garbage time run.
“I thought his minutes were really good and I loved the way he played and prepared for the game,” Kerr said of Kuminga’s play Monday. “He’s coming along. It’s going to be a process for him, he’s so young. As it is for most young guys, there’s so much to learn. It’s not possible for anyone at 19 to come in and really understand everything that needs to happen to win NBA games.
“This whole year really for him is just figuring all that stuff out, and we’re trying to help him with it, but he’s doing a great job.”
Kuminga and Moody will continue to get their feet wet on select nights this season for the Warriors, but both certainly will play an essential part in Golden State’s future.