Jonathan Kuminga was never able to fully trust Jonathan Kuminga in his nearly five years with the franchise, leading to this month's trade that saw the former seventh overall pick head to the Atlanta Hawks.
For years Moses Moody suffered a similar fate, but now the young wing has built a level of consistency that's making him one of Kerr's most reliable players, and the head coach isn't afraid to heap praise on the former lottery pick.
Steve Kerr makes his thoughts on Moses Moody clear
Amid Golden State's myriad of injury concerns over the past month, Moody has been one of the rare constants for Kerr and the coaching staff. He's a bonafide starter playing heavy minutes, and the season-ending injury to Jimmy Butler may have also opened up an opportunity for him to explore more of his offensive game.
Moody delivered again with a major performance in a stunning win over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, dropping a team-high 23 points, seven rebounds and five assists on 9-of-16 shooting from the floor and 5-of-9 from 3-point range.
Kerr heaped credit on Moody after the upset victory, labelling the fifth-year wing as arguably the team's most consistent performer across the past six weeks.
“Moses has been brilliant for six weeks,”Kerr told reporters.“You know, he’s shooting the lights out… the confidence; he’s maybe been our most consistent performer. His on-ball defense; he’s top of the league against pick-and-roll. And he’s such a great teammate. He’s there for you every night, the way he works. He’s so poised.”
Since January 13 (about six weeks), Moody has averaged 15.1 points on 51.2% shooting from the floor and a blistering 46.8% from 3-point range. He's only gone under 10 points once in that 17-game span, while also adding 3.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists and nearly a steal per game.
That's the kind of consistent production the Warriors have desperately needed to stay afloat amid their current injury crisis, with Moody and fellow young forward Gui Santos comfortbaly the two biggest positives for the franchise in the wake of Butler's devastating injury.
With still two years remaining on an incredibly team-friendly contract, Moody is suddenly one of Golden State's most valuable players. After years of finding himself in trade rumors, the 23-year-old has developed into a staple of the team moving forward.
Kerr's latest comments are proof of just that, with Moody now the lone positive from what was an otherwise disastrous drafting period for the Warriors in 2020 and 2021.