SAN FRANCISCO -- The Warriors on Thursday recalled Moses Moody, Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Ryan Rollins to their Santa Cruz G League affiliate. Baldwin and Rollins, the Warriors' top two picks in the 2022 NBA Draft, have spent plenty of time in Santa Cruz.
For Moody, his G League assignment is a first this season.
"He just needs to play," Steve Kerr said Thursday after Warriors practice. "He's a young guy and out of the rotation right now. This is why Santa Cruz exists for the development of our young players and potential future players and it's a great tool.
"Moses will really benefit from playing 35 minutes and a couple games, get a bunch of shots up, build rhythm and it's all part of the development."
Santa Cruz plays Friday and Sunday night against the South Bay Lakers in El Segundo at the UCLA Health Training Center. Moody will play both games and is expected to then join the Warriors in Oklahoma City to begin the Warriors' three-game road trip with games against the Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets.
Aside from game reps, Kerr is excited for Moody's move to Santa Cruz because of the individual attention each player gets in the G League. The goal is for Moody to lock-in on becoming the 3-and-D player the Warriors envision out of him. His mentality and maturity at 20 years old made the Warriors' decision that much easier.
Kerr and the rest of the Warriors have raved about Moody's mental fortitude since Day 1. When Kerr told Moody he was headed to the G League, their conversation was the latest example of why the former lottery pick has so much respect in the building.
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"Moses is fantastic," Kerr said. "When we talked to him about it, he said, 'Look, I chose to develop in the NBA. I could have chosen to develop in college and that would have meant playing 35 minutes every night. But I chose to develop in the NBA and that's what comes with it. Sometimes it's like this where I'm not playing, not in the rotation, so I understand that.'
"He's mature beyond his years. He's very wise. It's one of the reasons I'm so high on him, because he understands the big picture and understands this is all heading in a direction that's very positive. But it's not always easy to get there."
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Moody received two straight DNPs (Did Not Play) before the Warriors made the move, as well as three out of Golden State's last four games and four out of its last eight.
He has played 39 out of the Warriors' 48 games this season, averaging 5.2 points while shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 36.7 percent on 3-pointers. Mood played five games with Santa Cruz last season as a rookie, where he averaged 24 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game.