NBA Summer League has been known to deceive basketball fans in the past, but Warriors first-round pick Moses Moody appears to be establishing himself as one of the better draft picks in 2021 at this early juncture of his career. Moody scored 22 points in Golden State’s second Summer League triumph on Friday night, including a 3-for-6 showing from beyond the arc.
If you thought the 14th overall pick was only a shooter, think again. In a win over the Thunder, Moody showed off some off-the-dribble scoring.
Despite a disappointing NCAA Tournament performance with Arkansas and some doubts about his potential, Moody was given a starting spot on the summer Warriors and has performed admirably. Moody turned 19 at the end of May, so he still has plenty of time to develop his skills. The Warriors’ front management should be ecstatic to see a talented 19-year-old who was regarded as a high-floor wing coming out of the Draft.
Jonathan Kuminga, although being younger and more raw, looked fairly good on Friday night, scoring 18 points on 14 field goal tries and displaying strong shooting range.
Steph Curry recently stated that he “liked” the Warriors’ draft picks, and while Golden State would be silly to expect championship-caliber contributions from Moody or Kuminga as rookies, Summer League is a solid first opportunity to demonstrate that you belong on a physical and talent level. For Moody, in particular, it appears that the shooting will translate to the NBA, which is a positive sign of his ability to contribute early on, and he appears to be comfortable enough to try some other things as well.
The Warriors are attempting to thread the needle of developing for the present and future while allowing the young guys to build trade value if the right player hits the open market, so Moody’s outstanding performance is a win-win.
