SAN FRANCISCO -- Five hours before tipoff against the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday, Warriors rookies Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody were on the Chase Center floor with the Santa Cruz Warriors for a G League preseason game.
The action approximated a scrimmage, and their goal was to break a sweat. For Moody, it was a matter of getting minutes of game activity. For Kuminga, sidelined most of last month, it was about building up conditioning.
Or at least that’s how it looked. Neither of the 2021 lottery picks stood out, much less dominated against the G League Ignite’s roster filled mostly with teenagers fresh out of high school and a few others with deeper resumés -- like, say, 37-year-old Pooh Jeter -- but little or no NBA experience.
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SIGN UP HERE The Sea Dubs, behind strong bench play, came away with a 110-88 victory. Here are a few takeaways regarding Kuminga and Moody, who were observed by CEO Joe Lacob, team president Bob Myers, several assistant coaches and, in the second half, Stephen Curry:
The Kuminga File
The Good: The 6-foot-7 forward was economical on offense, scoring 16 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field, making both his shots from beyond the arc. He added four rebounds, two assists and two blocks. His shooting touch looks much softer and smoother than it did in Summer League, indicating he is developing under the coaching staff. He got a steal by using a swipe-down move reminiscent of Andre Iguodala. He rotated nicely as a help defender for one of his two blocks. Kuminga’s best sequence came in the fourth quarter, when he grabbed a rebound in traffic and dribbled the length of the court, using a crossover move, for a layup. He seemed to get better as the game went on.
The Bad: Kuminga played 30 minutes and picked up five fouls and had six turnovers -- one on a 30-foot crosscourt pass that never had a prayer. He showed a tendency to leak out when an Ignite shot went up, which is not ideal for someone who is built to attack the glass. He was beaten badly on a driving layup in the opening minutes, with a Santa Cruz timeout coming shortly thereafter. He still gets lost in traffic on defense, as if floating about the court. This must be fixed for him to get significant minutes in the NBA.
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Epilogue: Kuminga had impressive moments but often appeared aimless, as if he were dropped into a playground game, which he was. He was minus-2 over his 30 minutes.
The Moody File
The Good: Moody contributed 16 points, a team-high seven rebounds, three blocks and one steal. He made 2-of-5 from distance. He was determined in his attempts to invade the paint and get to the rim. His one assist was a clever flick pass that led to an easy layup. His shot looked good, as it generally has. Executed a nice chase-down block in the second quarter. Moody put a nice bow on his afternoon by swiping a pass in the fourth quarter and racing in for a breakaway dunk that prompted an Ignite timeout.
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The Bad: Despite his reputation for feeling the action around him, he was beaten for a backdoor layup. Just lost his man in the half-court. He also botched his own backdoor layup, though it was lightly contested.
Epilogue: Moody is, as expected, a work in progress. He was plus-4 over 32 minutes in less-than-ideal conditions.
