Three Warriors players flying under the radar as 2025 NBA preseason begins originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – In a world where Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green all play for one team, it’s comically impressive Jonathan Kuminga became the talk of the Warriors’ offseason.
The Big Three of Curry, Butler and Green will grab headlines, run highlight packages and be the talk of morning shows. Kuminga will be a focal point of Warriors chatter for a number of reasons, too. As will offseason additions Al Horford and Seth Curry, the health and return of De’Anthony Melton, and Gary Payton II staying in Golden State.
Brandin Podziemski’s Year 3 leap as their next hopeful budding young star certainly will be something to monitor. A handful of other Warriors will be storylines of their own, but as the preseason begins a few already have gone under the radar.
Here are three Warriors that quickly can remind the outside to not forget about them, even if the spotlight is brighter on others.
Moses Moody
Rinse and repeat. Moody is entering his fifth season since going No. 14 overall to the Warriors in the 2021 NBA Draft and often has been left in the shadows. At times, that’s because of a constant roster logjam at his position.
Even so, coach Steve Kerr has fielded questions throughout the last few seasons about why Moody isn’t playing as much and how he can earn more minutes.
“As it relates to Moses, if we’ve got spacing, he’s one of those guys spaced,” Kerr said earlier this week. “He’s going to get a lot of open looks, and that bodes well for him. He’s an excellent shooter.”
A point of emphasis offensively for Moody is to be the pick-and-roll guy more, as in the one setting the screen to play out of the pocket and swing the ball or hit open shots. Kerr saw how teams are starting to place guards on shooting big men like Quinten Post, and defending someone like Moody, who isn’t as used to pick-and-roll, with their center.
The Warriors are looking for more offensive versatility out of someone they believe can contribute at multiple positions, which brings us to our next point.
Point of attack is the name of the game for the Warriors’ defense, knowing the back is well protected between Butler, Green and Horford.
“I think Moses will again take on that role, which he did so well after the [Butler trade] of guarding the ball, guarding the other team’s best player, really hounding the ball and that gives him a role that he has really taken to,” Kerr said.
Moody averaged 10.8 points and 1.2 steals per game after Butler’s arrival. He had 18 games of multiple steals last season, and 14 came after the Butler trade. He slots into the 2, 3 and 4, and seems to have found his best role.
“Steph plays fast, up and down, and then Jimmy slows it down, uses the whole shot clock. I like them out there together and my role being able to play off both of them gives us some diversity,” Moody said.
Trayce Jackson-Davis
Jackson-Davis has yet to find consistency in the first two years of his NBA career. He became the Warriors’ starting center the final month of the regular season as a rookie, and began last season in the starting lineup as well. Jackson-Davis started 37 of the 62 games he played last season but fell in the pecking order behind Post, another second-round draft pick who plays the same position as him.
Conditioning to become a more versatile player was Jackson-Davis’ offseason focus. He has dropped 15 pounds from last season, looking to be a better defender side-to-side who can switch onto wings and guards from the center position. Signing Horford looks to again put him below another center, but the move actually can benefit how Jackson-Davis plays.
“I think this is actually a really good thing for Trayce, because he will complement the other two guys. He has a totally different skill set,” Kerr said. “… Trayce could play with either Quinten or Al because of his shot blocking and diving, whereas the other two guys are more pick-and-pop. The floor balance makes a lot of sense.”
The Warriors tried to combat the Houston Rockets with their own two-big lineup here and there in the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs. Now, they feel like the combination of Horford, Post and Jackson-Davis gives them a much better shot at doing so.
“Obviuously I’m a vertical threat and those guys space the floor with 3-point shooting, but especially defensively I think we can be really, really good as well,” Jackson-Davis said.
A leaner version of himself has Jackson-Davis ready to be interchangeable in the frontcourt as a center or power forward.
“That’s just another thing that’s going to be with my conditioning,” he explained. “Being able to guard 4s and being able to move quicker laterally. I think that’s something I’m just going to continue to work on, develop and be ready for when the time comes.”
Gui Santos
Every team needs at least one player, and hopefully more, who is guaranteed to always bring energy. Santos is one of them for the Warriors.
His role isn’t expected to change much. He’ll come in for a few minutes, grab a number of rebounds, be an energizer and make winning plays. That’s how Santos will stay on the floor, and those traits can be easy to miss.
But they’re what the Warriors love about him.
“Gui is a great vibe,” Jackson-Davis said Saturday. “He plays as hard as he can every time he’s on the court. He’s a very, very high-IQ guy, and that fits really well with this system. And whenever he’s on the court, you can feel his presence – just the energy, how engaged he is and and how tough he is.
“We need all of that.”
Kerr sees a player who, through development in the G League and proving himself in the NBA, has grown stronger mentally and physically.
“He just looks a little bouncier, a little more athletic,” Kerr said. “He’s still a young guy. He’s put a ton of work in the weight room. He’s growing into his body still. And I thought he looked just more athletic than he has in the past.
“There’s a confidence level with Gui now that wasn’t there a couple of years ago.”
Santos went from playing only 23 games two seasons ago while averaging 8.3 minutes per game as a rookie, to then playing 56 games last season and averaging 13.6 minutes per game. Santos will want to see his shooting numbers go up for someone who should get open looks, but he knows his real calling card.
Though he usually plays in shorter bursts, Santos had 19 games of multiple offensive rebounds last season, in which the Warriors went 14-5. When he had three or more, the Warriors only lost once. Stars shine, and so can Santos in his own role.
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