Draft Day Running Blog

July 29, 2021, 2021 | 11:57 p.m.

After being drafted by the Dubs on Thursday, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody will make the cross-country flight on Friday and take part in an introductory press conference at Chase Center in the afternoon. Stay tuned for full coverage of the Dubs’ draft picks first day on Warriors Ground.

Until then, get to know the two newest Dubs and learn about their journeys to the league in this feature and the social posts below.

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July 29, 2021, 2021 | 10:47 p.m.

Following tonight’s NBA Draft, Warriors President of Basketball Operations Bob Myers answered questions about the team’s decision to draft Jonathan Kuminga (7th pick) and Moses Moody (14th pick). During the press conference, Myers addressed potential trade talk during the draft, the team’s plans for free agency and text messages he received from Drayomd Green before tonight’s picks. Watch it all in the video below.

July 29, 2021, 2021 | 8:17 p.m.

Shortly after being selected by the Warriors in the NBA Draft, Jonathan Kuminga, the seventh overall selection, and Moses Moody, the 14th pick, sat down for their draft night press conferences. They each fielded questions about landing with the Warriors and what they can bring to their new team. Take a look at some of the more notable quotes from their press conferences.

Kuminga Press Conference

How will you use your physical capability, your power inside of that Warriors lineup?
Kuminga: I'm in a great situation. I see myself as giving out a lot on defense and at the end of the day if they need me on offense, it's just the way they want me to do it, I'm willing to do it and I feel like I'm capable to do it. I feel like it's the right fit for me.

How ready do you think you are to kind of step in and play maybe like a supplementary role on a winning team like right now?
Kuminga: As long as I grow around Steph Curry, Klay, Draymond Green, I feel like my game is going to go from the bottom to the top in a couple months.

When you look at that progression and you look at the great African players that have come before you, where do you think your ceiling is and which African player do you think inspires you the most?
Kuminga: I would say pretty much all of them. Starting from [Dikembe] Mutombo, going to Giannis who just won a championship, you know. I want to be in that category. I want to be one of those players where coming from Africa and one day do something big in the NBA.

How do you think your training will be affected by playing with Klay, Steph and Draymond?
Kuminga: I just got to bring it out for every time I get in the game. I just got to be the player they need me to be, listen, learn every single day, work hard and I think everything will go well.

Moody Press Conference

When you woke up this morning on draft morning did you expect to put on the hat of the Golden State? And what can you bring to the Kuminga: Warriors, if fans have never seen you play before?
Honestly, I had no idea where I was going to end up when I woke up this morning, but I'm glad I'm here. And then I'm a shooter, that's what I do and but I can also do some things with the ball in my hands and really showcase a lot.

What do you think about your general fit with the Warriors?
Kuminga: Yeah, I feel like can I get in and have a good place with the team that they have now and really contribute as soon as possible, but I'm willing to wait and develop as much as they need me to.

With all the hard work that's came up to this moment, how did it feel to have the Commissioner finally call your name?
Kuminga: I got it on inside of my jacket, it said, "This is why I did what I did." This is why I did what I did. It's been a long process and that's not just to say the last couple months, it's been a life-long process. I've always sacrificed for this moment and for the moments to come because this is not the end, this is the beginning.

What do you look to take off of guys like Steph Curry and the vets that are on your team and implement that kind of stuff into your game?
Kuminga: I couldn't even, I don't even know what all them are going to teach me because I know they have so many small little tricks and nuances to get an advantage on the other team, but given how great they are, how great the team is, I mean in that environment I have no choice but to get better.

How do you feel about going to the Warriors where there is a championship-like team already right now? How does that change your mindset and how you look to develop there quickly?
Kuminga: I'm extremely excited. I like to play obviously on winning teams and to win games and that team can really do it. I'm just glad to be a part of a winning program.

July 29, 2021, 2021 | 7:06 p.m.

Want to see what Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody are bringing to the Bay Area? Take a look.

Our friends at Warriors Shop were ready! Just moments after the pick was made, they were already at work creating jerseys for the Warriors’ soon-to-be rooks.

July 29, 2021, 2021 | 6:28 p.m.

The Warriors added an athletic guard in Moses Moody with the 14th pick in the NBA Draft. As a freshman at Arkansas last season, he led the Razorbacks to the Elite Eight, averaging 16.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. Moody earned All-SEC 1st Team and Freshman of the Year honors. At 6-foot-5 and 211 pounds, "Moody has terrific dimensions for a wing and is a capable athlete," according to his NBA.com profile.

July 29, 2021, 2021 | 6:17 p.m.

There was no shortage of positive reaction to the Warriors’ selection of Jonathan Kuminga with the No. 7 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, but the 18-year old’s sums it all up pretty well.

Some other notable reaction to the pick …

July 29, 2021, 2021 | 5:46 p.m.

The Warriors used their first of two lottery picks in tonight's NBA Draft on forward Jonathan Kuminga from the G League Ignite.

The 6-foot-6, 210-pound combo forward is a native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo who moved to the U.S. to pursue basketball in 2016 at the age of 13.

With the G League Ignite this season, Kuminga averaged 15.8 points and 7.2 rebounds, posting four double-doubles in 13 games. Prior to making his pro debut, Kuminga was ranked as the No. 1 high school prospect in the Class of 2021 before reclassifying to 2020 and joining the Ignite.

"He was the most NBAready [on NBA G League Ignite] in terms of strength and physicality. He’ll be the best two-way player in this upcoming draft," Ignite head coach Brian Shaw said to NBA.com. "He can make threes, drive to the basket, finish through contact, has mid-range [ability]
and can defend one through four. Just a special talent."

July 29, 2021, 2021 | 4:40 p.m.

Just minutes left before the NBA Draft, presented by Oracle, begins, and we are set to go on the clock here at Chase Center and Thrive City.

The Warriors brain trust, including Co-Chairman Joe Lacob to President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Bob Myers, have their seats in the “War Room” ready. Soon they’ll be locked in discussion over which top prospect they may add when the Dubs go on the clock for the seventh overall pick -- their first of two lottery picks.

But they won’t be alone as Dub Nation is set to gather at Thrive City for the Warriors Draft Watch Party. Besides watching the future of the Warriors unfold, there will be live insights from the Dubs’ and NBC Sports Bay Area broadcast team and entertainment, too.

Whether you’re already in Thrive City for today’s Draft Watch Party or getting ready to watch Commissioner Adam Silver announce the first round picks from the comfort of your own home (draft begins at 5 p.m. on ESPN), we figure now would be a good time to share some Warriors draft fun facts.

July 29, 2021 | 11:14 a.m.

After over a month of predicting and speculating what the Warriors might do with the seventh and 14th picks of the 2021 NBA Draft, those answers will come later today when NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announces the team’s selections on a stage in front of television cameras in Brooklyn.

Several top draft prospects will be in attendance of tonight’s draft, a step toward normalcy after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the event to take place in a virtual setting last year.

While there will surely be some celebrations in Brooklyn tonight as NBA dreams are realized, Dub Nation can share in the festivities at the Warriors Draft Watch Party at Thrive City, presented by Oracle. The event begins at 4:30 p.m., allowing fans to watch the event on the 3,108-square-foot videoboard. In addition, Warriors radio broadcaster Tim Roye and former Dubs GM Garry St. Jean will provide live insights on the draft, and Warriors entertainment teams will be on hand for some live performances.

But of course, the highlights of the night will be what the Warriors do at Nos. 7 and 14. Their certainly is no shortage of opinions on that, as we’ve been documenting the ‘expert’ opinions on the mock draft circuit for some time now. Our very own Tim Roye put a unique spin on his mock draft, but no matter which way you look at it, the Dubs have some interesting options in front of them.

Warriors President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Bob Myers said as much earlier this week in his pre-draft press conference.

And if you’re wondering why all the fuss is about the two lottery picks and there’s no interest in the Warriors’ second round pick, that’s because there isn’t one. The Dubs gave that up two years ago in a draft day trade that brought Alen Smailagic to The Bay.

We’ll keep this space up to date with all of the draft day developments relating to the Warriors. Until then, prepare yourself for all the possibilities and check out our Warriors draft preview.