It took a few years, but the Warriors' blended roster of high-upside youngsters and seasoned veterans finally is blossoming into the complementary lineup they hoped it would become.
While young players like Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis earned consistent roles in coach Steve Kerr's rotations at various times over the past two seasons, that didn't quite seem to be the case for fourth-year guard Moses Moody, who struggled to maintain a consistent role despite frequently thriving in limited minutes off the bench.
The 22-year-old Moody has improved each year since Golden State selected him with the No. 14 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, but as Kerr explained in an interview on 95.7 The Game's "Willard & Dibs" on Tuesday, the primary reason for Moody's increased minutes and consistent role has to do with the roster clarity created by the Warriors' blockbuster trade for star forward Jimmy Butler.
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"I try to explain this all the time, but it's a five-man puzzle and the roster now makes perfect sense," Kerr told Mark Willard and Dan Dibley. "It just does. And the last couple years, frankly, there's been a lot of overlapping parts. Moses didn't always complement the guys next to him and vice versa. It made things trickier, not only to play him, but to play [Jonathan Kuminga], to play a number of guys. That's why roster construction is so important.
"You see what's happened, though. The four-for-one trade rally clarifies our top-eight/nine. Moses is now on the floor with a whole bunch of guys who really know how to play. [Brandin Podziemski] now is given a clear path towards 30 minutes a night and he's a secondary playmarker next to Steph [Curry]. Jimmy [Butler] is a playmaker, Draymond's a playmaker, so now Moses can just play hard like he's doing, spot up, make shots, move the ball and the game all makes sense."
The Warriors' trade for Butler sent forwards Andrew Wiggins and Kyle Anderson to the Miami Heat and guards Dennis Schröder and Lindy Waters III both eventually to the Detroit Pistons, creating open roster spots and streamlining roles for young players like Moody.
"It's been really clear for our staff the last couple years why we couldn't quite put this together and now it's really clear that Mike Dunleavy's move to trade for Jimmy Butler has made things really simple and now you're seeing guys thrive," Kerr added.
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The Warriors are 12-1 in games Butler has played in, and since his arrival, Moody is averaging 11.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 28.6 minutes per game.
Coincidence? Kerr thinks not.