Golden State Warriors: Unfair to compare Kuminga/Moody to Nuggets’ rookie

Led by a historic 32-point, 21-rebound, 10-assist triple-double from their superstar Nikola Jokic, the Denver Nuggets took Game 3 to hold a 2-1 advantage over the Miami Heat in this year’s NBA Finals.

While the two-time MVP was undoubtedly the story of the contest, alongside star guard Jamal Murray who had a 34-point triple-double of his own, rookie Christian Braun was a major highlight for the Nuggets who now regain home-court advantage. For Golden State Warriors’ fans, Braun’s impact was a reminder of the lack of trust in their youngsters, notably Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody.

Comparing Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody to Denver Nuggets’ rookie Christian Braun is an unfair exercise for the Golden State Warriors’ youngsters.

Braun played 19 minutes in the pivotal Game 3 on the road, recording 15 points and four rebounds on 7-for-8 shooting. Mike Malone’s trust is of stark contrast to Steve Kerr who increasingly limited the opportunities of his younger players before the Warriors’ second-round exit.

In fact, Moody was the only one who saw more minutes, though that came after a regular season where many fans were left frustrated by his lack of playing time. Kuminga was and is a major talking point since the playoffs began, with the second-year forward going from important 20-minute per game player to completely out of the rotation.

Braun’s impact may reiterate the question, ‘why couldn’t Kuminga and Moody have done this?’ However, the background of each player may suggest that comparing them is unfair. The exciting Denver rookie is already 22-years-old — nearly 12 months older than Moody and over 18 months older than Kuminga.

Braun also had three years and played over 100 games at Kansas, averaging over 31 minutes in his sophomore and junior year. In comparison, Kuminga had one season with the NBA G League Ignite, while Moody was a one-and-done at Arkansas.

So yes, Braun may not have been a highly-touted lottery pick, but it’s not surprising that he’s had more immediate impact than both Kuminga and Moody have had in playoff-level basketball. This can be attributed partly to Steve Kerr and the coaching staff, though perhaps more attention should be placed on that particular draft.

Pre-draft the Warriors were heavily linked to the likes of Davion Mitchell and Chris Duarte, simply because they were older prospects with extensive college experience. Even someone like Franz Wagner, who was taken at pick eight directly after Kuminga, had served two years of experience at Michigan.

Golden State ultimately took the younger, less experienced prospects, banking on the high upside of particularly Kuminga. If there’s frustration of what Braun is doing for Denver right now, that should be shared between the initial draft process as well as whatever you may think of Kerr’s leash on his youngsters.