It’s a new era of Warriors basketball in the Bay.
Things still revolve around the Splash Brothers of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, but they’re now 35 and 33 years old, respectively. With Draymond Green currently serving an indefinite suspension, head coach Steve Kerr has made moves to infuse youth into the rotation of an older roster.
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To switch things up, Kerr has leaned on 20-year-old rookie Brandin Podziemski, 21-year-old third-year players Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody, as well as 23-year-old rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis. Each of the four has brought much-needed energy to a team looking to turn things around.
Who are the Warriors’ young players? Here is more on each of the aforementioned four and how they came into their roles with Golden State.
Who is Trayce Jackson-Davis?
Trayce Jackson-Davis is a rookie forward for the Warriors. He was drafted 57th overall by the Warriors in 2023 after spending four years at the University of Indiana.
Jackson-Davis started in each of the 126 games he appeared in at Indiana, posting averages of 17.9 points and 9.1 rebounds. During his senior year, he was a consensus First-Team All-American.
Ahead of the draft, The Sporting News’ Kyle Irving ranked Jackson-Davis 30th on his big board. Still, Jackson-Davis almost went undrafted, posting “Y’all will regret it” on X after falling late into the second round.
Jackson-Davis is the son of 16-year NBA veteran Dale Davis, who also wore No. 32 for the Warriors. Jackson-Davis’ stepfather, Ray Jackson, was a cornerback on Washington State’s Pac-10 championship team that fell to Michigan in the 1998 Rose Bowl. His younger brother, Tayven Jackson, is a quarterback at Indiana.
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Who is Brandin Podziemski?
Brandin Podziemski is a rookie guard for the Warriors. He was selected by Golden State with the 19th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft after a two-year college career spent at Illinois and Santa Clara.
A native of Wisconsin, Podziemski burst onto the scene as a sophomore at Santa Clara, earning West Coast Conference Player of the Year honors with averages of 19.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.8 steals over 32 games. Before the draft, SN’s Steph Noh said “[Podziemski] can flat-out ball and shoot lights out in a supporting role. That type of high-feel scorer is a good archetype to bet on.”
Podziemski surged up draft boards after he was graded as a late-first to second-round pick. He didn’t see playing time in five of Golden State’s first six games of the season but had a breakout performance with 23 points in a three-point loss to Minnesota on Nov. 14.
On Dec. 14, Steve Kerr inserted Podziemski into the Warriors’ starting lineup alongside Stephen Curry, Klay Thomson, Kevon Looney and Jonathan Kuminga.
Who is Jonathan Kuminga?
Jonathan Kuminga is a third-year forward for the Warriors. As one of the members of NBA G League Ignite’s inaugural draft class, he was selected seventh overall by the Warriors in the 2021 NBA Draft.
A native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kuminga moved to the United States in 2016. His prep career included stops in West Virginia, New York and New Jersey before he moved on to G League Ignite as a consensus five-star recruit, choosing the pathway program over a list of colleges that included basketball blue bloods Duke and Kentucky.
Kuminga’s role fluctuated throughout his rookie year but he did appear in 16 of Golden State’s 22 games in the NBA Playoffs. And while he logged just under eight minutes in the 2022 NBA Finals, he became the second-youngest champion in NBA history at 19 years and 253 days old.
In his third season, his role has become more defined as he is part of the youthful infusion in the starting lineup. Kuminga, who turned 21 in October, is averaging a career-high 12.2 points per game this season.
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Who is Moses Moody?
Moses Moody is a third-year guard for the Warriors. He was selected 14th overall by the Warriors in the 2021 NBA Draft after spending one season at the University of Arkansas.
A native of Little Rock, Ark., Moody represented his home state proudly, earning SEC Freshman of the Year and First-Team All-SEC honors during his lone season with the Razorbacks. Viewed as one of the best shooters in his draft class, Golden State used its own lottery pick to select Moody after selecting Kuminga with a pick acquired in a trade with Minnesota.
Like his rookie classmate, Moody played sparingly during Golden State’s championship run in 2022 but did get on the floor in four of six games in the NBA Finals. He became an NBA champion 16 days after turning 20.
Moody has become a key cog in the Warriors’ second unit. He’s averaging a career-best 8.4 points per game this season.
