Warriors botched development has hit a brutal and calamitous new low

The playing time of Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody has been a huge talking point throughout their careers, with the fourth-year lottery picks unable to fully establish themselves as consistent rotation players for the Golden State Warriors.

It's easy to look at the Warriors decisions at the 2021 NBA Draft and be heavily critical of their choices. The franchise could have had Franz Wagner who was taken the pick directly after Kuminga, while the likes of Alperun Sengun and Trey Murphy III were taken shortly after Moody.

The Warriors botched development of Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody hit a new low on Saturday

Perhaps it's unfair to constantly compare them to what the Warriors could have had, particularly when those players have had far more runway and room to grow in contrast to Kuminga and Moody who walked into a championship-contending team.

However, it shouldn't be unfair to compare the fourth-year duo to this year's rookie class. By now you would expect Kuminga and Moody to be seeing more playing time and having more impact than most who are just entering the league.

Apparently not. Saturday's loss to the Phoenix Suns saw a brutal and calamitous new low when it comes to Golden State's drafting and the development of their young players. Kuminga had some impact late in the game but finished with 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting, while Moody was limited to less than three first-half minutes before being benched completely in the second-half of the 113-105 defeat.

The Suns are also a playoff-contending team with hopes of a championship this season, yet they've unearthed a pair of rookies they feel comfortably playing alongside their stars. While Kuminga and Moody played just over 20 minutes combined, Phoenix duo Ryan Dunn and Osa Ighodaro saw over 50 combined minutes off the bench in their eight-point win.

What makes it all the more startling is these aren't highly touted early draft selections. Dunn was taken late in the first-round at 28th overall after two years in college, with Ighodaro taken shortly after at pick 40.

For the 28th and 40th overall picks to be playing over double the minutes, and for them to be simply having more impact than Kuminga and Moody, is nothing short of a major problem that reiterates how Golden State have botched the duo's development and their initial selections.

Clearly there are extenuating circumstances -- most notably that the Warriors have far greater depth and optionality than the Suns do. That doesn't excuse this as nothing short of a serious issue though, and one that many would argue has now been going on for far too long.