Moody, Kuminga Combine for 62 Points in G-League Win

The rookies are looking pretty good in Santa Cruz. Yesterday, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody combined for an electric 62 points in a win for the Sea-Dubs over the Agua Caliente Clippers. Moody had an impressive line with 37 points and 10 rebounds to go along, while Kuminga had 25 points of his own.

Moody was able to display his multi-dimensional offense against the Clips, getting his points in a variety of ways ranging from spot-ups, cuts to the basket, 5 offensive rebounding with second chance points as the result, and even a few off-the-dribble drives. Plenty of his points came from his jumper as well, as he shot 5/11 from downtown and made all 4 of his free throw attempts.

The 14th overall pick also played stellar defense, picking up 4 steals and a monster block to lead Santa Cruz’s squad to their 1-point victory. Moody displayed a lot of the qualities that Golden State drafted him for, and he got the chance to show that off in full. Despite a so-so night of general efficiency, he was able to make up for a lot of his misses with those offensive rebounds.

Kuminga’s athleticism, on the other hand, was on full display en-route to his 25. Mostly coming off drives and cuts, the 7th pick got plenty of his buckets off a great first step and some serious hangtime, including a nasty reverse dunk in transition. While he only made 2 threes of the 8 he attempted, one of them was a pull-up that showed signs of something he could add to his arsenal down the road. While the stats didn’t show off his defensive prowess, it’s no secret that Kuminga’s already an excellent defender and has little to prove therefore.

The young wing looked about as many would have expected him to given his tag as a “project” pick. The game IQ is clearly there, and he plays disciplined, taking efficient shots and playing well to his strengths. His brief stints in the NBA so far have shown he can already hang with some of the better offensive players in the league, and his ceiling will really be a question of how far his offense (primarily his jumper) can go.

With Santa Cruz starting to look like the premier development program in the G-League, seeing the Warriors rookies have a chance to go off like they did last night is very encouraging. With the Sea-Dubs producing plenty of excellent rotation guys and maybe even the franchise’s future lead guard in Jordan Poole, there’s enough evidence to infer that spending this time is good for Moody and Kuminga.

In particular, the two lottery picks both have something glaring they can work on: With Kuminga, it’s his jumper, and with Moody, his finishing around the basket. They both have shown they have the drive and work ethic to make those improvements, and with a player like Gary Payton II going from a “leave him open” type of guy to a credible threat beyond the arc, it’s easy to envision Kuminga picking up that skillset as well.

For Moody, being able to finish through contact will come with more experience. He looks more league-ready offensively, but he still needs major adjustment to the physicality of pro play to be a rotation guy this season or even next. It will require a lot of patience, but if he’s putting up 37 against G-League players, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him make that jump quickly.

For now, Moody and Kuminga remain in Santa Cruz to continue working on their games as the Warriors near the return of Klay Thompson. Thompson’s comeback should give plenty of leeway with depth that the rookies can spend some more time down in the G-League, although if they keep up the play they had last night, they may be in the rotation as soon as the new year.

(Photo credit: Michael J. LeBrecht / Getty Images)