The Golden State Warriors have several young, up-and-coming talents mixed with several veterans, all vying for the same pot of minutes. For second-year guard Moses Moody, he’ll have to earn his minutes.
The Warriors lost Gary Payton II to the Portland Trail Blazers who offered the defensive-minded guard a three-year contract, and by all technicality, the bulk of Jordan Poole’s minutes were at the two last season.
The Golden State Warriors have numerous prospects, all of which will need minutes. For Moses Moody, he’ll have to outshine Donte DiVincenzo.
That could change which would be huge for Moody and free up some time behind Klay Thompson. Poole’s next step should be taking over the second unit and being the main facilitator and playmaker behind two-time MVP Stephen Curry.
If that happens, there will be two options for the minutes at the two that don’t belong to five-time All-Star guard Klay Thompson. They’ll be given to either Moody or the recently-acquired Donte DiVincenzo.
DiVincenzo should have the early edge, and the signing of the former Bucks first-round pick was recently dubbed the most underrated move of the offseason. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard averaged 10.4 points per game his last season in Milwaukee.
Bouncing around last season, his efficiency and production struggled to remain consistent. However, he does have a career-high 37.9% from deep which was his final year in Milwaukee. He should see similar looks with Golden State.
As for Moody, during his rookie season, the 6-foot-6 guard notched 4.4 points per game in just under a quarter of action in 52 games (11 starts). His efficiency was solid for a rookie, hitting 36.4% of his attempts from deep and 43.7% of his shots from the field.
Both players also can defend at a high level. DiVincenzo obviously has more experience and will likely will be the better three-point shooting option for the Warriors. Spacing the floor, especially with James Wiseman and Jonathan Kuminga on the second unit, will be vital.
Given Moody has an impressive two-game stint in the 2K23 Las Vegas Summer League, he could be primed for more minutes. However, he’s going to have to prove that he belongs in order to earn those.