The Golden State Warriors have been forced to embrace what fans long asked them to. Jimmy Butler is out for the season, Stephen Curry is missing time himself, and both Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis have been dealing with ailments of their own.
As a result, the Warriors have been forced to embrace the youth movement that they've been deprioritizing for the better part of the past half-decade.
It's a bittersweet development that directly coincides with Jonathan Kuminga's triumphant debut with the Atlanta Hawks. After five polarizing seasons with the Warriors, Kuminga went off to the tune of 27 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals in his first game with the Hawks.
It's by no means a confirmation of what the future holds for him, but Kuminga has undoubtedly stoked the flames in regard to claims that he was underutilized by Golden State head coach Steve Kerr.
Simultaneous to Kuminga's stellar showing was yet another display of the quality of the depth the Warriors actually possess. 27-year-old guard De'Anthony Melton led the charge with his second consecutive game with 20-plus points, but that only scratched the surface of the under-30 players excelling with the spotlight on them.
Though the Warriors may struggle to win games without the stars, their under-30 players are proving time and again that they have far more to offer than fans have been led to believe.
Warriors' under-30s are thriving, so why weren't they playing all along?
23-year-old guard Moses Moody scored 24 points during the Warriors' most recent game, a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. It was quite a follow-up performance to the 23 points, seven rebounds, and five assists he tallied just two days prior in a win over the Denver Nuggets.
It was the third time in six games that Moody has scored at least 20 points, as well as his fourth since Jan. 28 and his sixth consecutive outing in double figures.
23-year-old forward Gui Santos has been breaking out right alongside him. He scored 15 points against the Pelicans and has now reached that mark in six of his past seven games and eight of his past 10 appearances—and had 11 points and 10 rebounds in the game prior.
While Moody has at least been steadily included in the rotation in a relatively prominent role, Santos had averaged a mere 11.8 minutes per game prior to his recent 11-game surge.
Moody's increase in assertiveness, Santos' rise in playing time, and Kuminga's debut in Atlanta all contribute to the same painful reality. It's not necessarily that said players should've been empowered to reach star-caliber levels they may not ultimately be able to, but instead that they're clearly talented and capable individuals who could've taken pressure off of the 35-and-over stars.
Unfortunately, with Butler sidelined for the remainder of the season, the Warriors can only turn an eye to a future that leaves unavoidable questions about what could've been.