According to CBS Sports (sadly, bkref.com doesn’t care about preseason afaik), Moses Moody actually leads the Warriors in scoring this preseason. Obviously, the preseason is a little skewed — by the end of this month, there will probably be a ton of players on the preseason scoring leaderboard who won’t be on the regular season one.
But aside from the actual numbers, at least from Steve Kerr’s angle from the bench, which we sometimes can’t really see from the TV angle, “He looks stronger to me. When he’s putting the ball on the floor, people are bouncing off of him. He’s shooting much better, off the pin-downs, like, on the move and he’s put all the work in, and he’s earned this.”
This improvement in physicality can be explained by two of his last three podium visits dating back to last week, of which I’ve posted the full transcripts and videos below, but here’s a summary of what Moody said about the work he’s put in…
From practice on October 10th, the day before the Kings-Warriors preseason game at Chase Center:
…in the off-season, I worked a lot on movement, so I feel a lot better, like small little aches and pains that I was feeling at first. I figured out way better ways to move more efficiently…
…being able to move better, move freely without the aches and pains and all of that, like, that allows me to be able to run up and down, play, jump, fly, move, play defense like I feel really good.
…figuring out the right way to start running and take off with power, the right way to stop, how your foot should hit the ground.
And then last night from Staples Center, after the win against the Lakers:
…if you watch Klay (Thompson), how physical he is with guys, like he put two hands on somebody’s chest trying to get open. But he doesn’t rely on the screen to do it. So, just taking some notes out of everybody’s book.
…you feel more confident under pressure like in traffic, in small spaces, and I think that’s what shows.
…Me and Lainn (Wilson) have been working on it every day pretty much, just being able to come off. And then in the weight room too, just that movement stuff, being able to come off at high speed, stop and control my body for the jump shot.
At least, I think Moses was referring to Lainn, who’s listed as the head video coordinator on Steve’s staff — could’ve been somebody else I’m not aware of, with a name pronounced like “lane”. You’d probably guess that whomever Moses has been working with, would’ve been someone on the performance/training side under Rick Celebrini, though. “Head video coordinator” comes as a surprise, although the previous one, Hilton Armstrong, spent a lot of time on the court breaking a sweat and participating in a myriad of drills with the squad.
In any case, I’m really pleased to hear that Moody worked on things of this nature because when I grew up watching VCR tapes of Michael Jordan, one of the things I noticed was gait and stride and how to plant the foot.
Because of that film, I used to also workout (very briefly) at Kezar Stadium back when I played in the Wednesday night Japantown league, doing 40-yard sprints to improve my conditioning, speed and form for fast breaks. The interesting thing was, local college track athletes would also go there to train. Watching these women cruise around the turn of the track like gazelles made me appreciate the finer aspects of the simple act of running.
And then I’d always play better in my rec league basketball games when my mind was fixated on trying to emulate Jordan’s strides and how his legs and feet moved on the court — I’m sure it looked far from MJ in real life, as we all have our own gaits. No one other than Kobe Bryant has remotely resembled Jordan’s grace on the court since he left the game, although sometimes in my courtside behind-the-scenes videos, I do notice the initial attack and jab step of Stephen Curry comes close — but the rest of the move, of course, ends up being below-the-rim, so 90% of the remainder of the move to the hoop ends up not very MJ- or Kobe-like, obviously.
Since the Jordan tapes, I’d always spot an NBA player and the way he’d run on the court and notice little imperfections. For example, I’ve always felt that the number one thing fellow Cal alum Jaylen Brown should improve about his game is, quite simply, running with longer strides than the ones he currently takes.
And so it was really cool to hear that Mo and the Warriors staff worked on something like this, specifically, and that it’s clearly paid dividends…
00:00 How did you think the starting group looked?
00:03 STEVE KERR: They looked good. I think the key is JK and Wiggs running the floor. I mean, it puts a lot of pressure on teams. And so they set a good tone tonight. The way they just got downhill, with or without the ball, they were gone. And so I really liked the way both those guys played and the impact that they can make with their athleticism and force.
00:29 How hard is Moses making it for you to keep him out of the rotation?
00:35 He’s playing great. He’s gotten so much better in so many ways. We’ve always loved his character, his work ethic. But I think he’s — this is the most confidence that I think he’s played with and he’s gonna play a big role for us. I mean he’s just — but so are a lot of other guys. And we’re sitting in that coaches’ room every day saying, how do we play all these guys? ‘Cause they all deserve to play. So I’ve asked all of them, just play your hardest, play — make it difficult for us, and they’re all doing that.
01:16 How do you decide? When do you decide? I mean, I guess, are you right now just thinking about like Opening Night rotation?
01:22 Yeah, yeah. I’m just gonna let Kris Weems decide and then if the players are mad, they can talk to him.
01:29 Last season, you tried out that Andrew and JK combo tonight.
01:33 Yeah.
01:33 — but they didn’t really stick with it very much. Very small sample size.
01:37 Right.
01:38 Do you see a little bit more potential with those two?
01:41 I do. I do. But we have to play fast. I think we’re doing a better job, offensively, of getting a little more organized this year, being a little more purposeful with our actions and if those guys run the way they did tonight, that makes offense a lot easier. Excuse me. And then it’s up to us as coaches to help them continue to figure out the actions that can really be effective.
02:11 With that size that that first group has, what kind of upside do you feel like that unit can have?
02:16 Yeah, I think that’s kind of the idea, right? You get Trayce next to Draymond. It’s a pretty good front line. You got shot blocking. You got — it allows Draymond to play center field. And then obviously, big wings. and then Steph ties it all together on the offensive side because he’s Steph Curry. I mean, he just makes the game easier for everybody. So there’s — I thought all in all, that look, that group did well, but all you have to do is look at the box score. And when we went to our bench, all those guys are, look at the list, plus-16, plus-13, plus-16, plus-22. Kyle was a plus-22. I think our depth is the strength of our team. I mean, obviously, Steph and Draymond are the linchpins. Our depth is, to me, what gives us an edge, probably most nights. I haven’t seen everybody around the league yet, but I know this is a really deep team.
03:23 What did you like about the way Kyle ran the second unit?
03:26 He’s a point forward. He’s incredibly crafty. The game makes sense when he’s out there. And he’s a very tricky player to guard, too. He’s — there’s nobody else in the league like him and he plays it at his own pace. And I think he just, he’s never rattled and he just kind of plays a position that is unique and he does it really well.
04:01 A lot of the talk about Moses is about the glue guy. He can shoot it, 3&D type guy, but it just seems like his scoring is kind of needed for your roster. I think he had 21 tonight.
04:12 Yeah.
04:12 He’s been maybe kind of morphing even more into like a bench scorer.
📌 04:17 Yeah, I mean, we — there’s a reason we drafted him, right? You get size and strength and the ability to shoot the ball and I just think that he’s kind of grown into his body, there. He looks stronger to me. When he’s putting the ball on the floor, people are bouncing off of him. He’s shooting much better, off the pin-downs, like on the move and he’s put all the work in and he’s earned this.
04:47 And how do you kind of view this moment of the crazy extension-eligible — (inaudible) — obviously — (inaudible) soon, but it does feel kind of like an urgent moment for him to kind of grasp.
04:58 Yeah, yeah, for sure. Both Moses and JK are handling that stuff really well. They’re focused on playing and I’ve talked to them both about the extension stuff and they know that I understand their situations, just having been there as a player, but every guy’s facing a unique set of circumstances and I’m aware of all of them and we try to take care of all of our guys and give them the best chance to succeed and it’s fun. This is a — you can tell it’s going to be a fun team, a fun group because people are really committed and playing hard and playing together.
05:46 How does Friday look for you guys? Do you view that as — I think you’ve called it a dress rehearsal?
05:52 Maybe. We haven’t really addressed it yet. So we tried to get Draymond and Steph’s minutes up, tonight a little bit. This is the most they’ve played. And yeah, I’ll talk to Rick (Celebrini). We do have the next two days to practice and prepare, but maybe we’ll bump them up a little bit more. But we’ll talk to the performance staff first.
06:19 And Moses Moody, probably coming over to put on a headset. I’m beginning to like this habit of you coming to talk to me after games. This is a good thing. This is a good thing. It just looks like that you are totally at peace with your game right now. It just seems that things are coming so natural for you. No thinking, just reacting. It looks really, really fun.
06:47 MOSES MOODY: Yeah, yeah, it is. That’s the way it feels out there. Like I told you, just the movement/balance stuff I’ve been working on, learning the game a little bit. So, just getting out here and being able to practice it with a lot of reps.
06:57 How important is it for you — and I saw this a lot tonight from you — it’s kind of, I don’t want to say imitate, but in a way it is, the way you’re moving off the ball, very similar to the Splash Brothers.
📌 07:10 Yeah, I’ve had some great role models since I’ve been in the league, within the both of them. So, just seeing ways to get open, seeing ways to get yourself open, as well as use the screens. But Klay and Steph, but if you watch Klay, how physical he is with guys, like he put two hands on somebody’s chest trying to get open. But he doesn’t rely on the screen to do it. So, just taking some notes out of everybody’s book.
07:34 And that’s something you could do, ’cause especially if you’re playing at the guard spot, you could be more physical with some of those guys.
07:40 Yeah. Yeah. If you got the ability, too, they let offense get away with everything.
07:43 Let me ask you about a couple of players that kind of impressed me a little bit. Tell me what you think of Lindy Waters’ game.
07:50 Yeah. Lindy’s been great, the way he’s been knocking the ball down. If you just see the rhythm and the form of his shot, I really like it. How smooth it is, how patient it is. He gets it off fast, but it’s not rushed.
08:00 And how cool was it to see Andrew Wiggins back on the floor tonight?
08:03 Yeah, I love to see my dog on the floor. He’s been out. He’s been out for a while without getting no reps, without getting to play. Well, I’ve been around him off the court, so just being able to see him back in action was great.
08:14 The final thing I want you to talk about is tonight, it was Kuminga, Draymond, Jackson-Davis, Wiggins and Curry starting and I don’t think starting is as big a deal as most people, but I think tonight with that group starting and you guys coming off the bench, I think you guys are gonna match up better against the LA Lakers squad than maybe we have in the past. What do you think about that?
08:34 Yeah, we deep. We got different units. We can throw different looks at different teams So just trust the coaching staff for that, to put the best group together with the different units and whatever that may be.
08:44 Hawaii and Vegas in the same preseason? That’s not too bad.
08:47 Hey, unheard of. That’s it. Yeah, that’s it. That’s a good run for me.
08:51 Hey, I appreciate your time as always, my friend. Congratulations. Nice job.
08:54 Yes, sir. Likewise. Thank you.
08:54 All right. Moses Moody, our guest tonight. He had 21 points, 5 boards, and 2 assists. Warriors get the win tonight over LA, 111 to 97.
09:06 You get smoked on the eye tonight?
09:08 Yeah, yeah. He got me. I don’t even know when it happened. I don’t know.
09:16 How good is your game feeling right now?
09:19 It feels good. Like I’ve been saying, just the work over the (inaudible), being able to kind of practice it and getting live reps with it, it’s been fun.
09:29 We’ve been having this conversation, obviously, off and on really for four years now. Like, how big a moment does this feel like in your career entering Year Four? Obviously you’re kind of trying to grasp a firm rotation spot.
09:43 It’s — I like to say, you can only control so much. So I’ve done the work in the summertime. I’m working on it now, putting in, doing everything I can do. But at the end of the day, you’re going to control what you can.
09:56 Steve’s talked about how good you looked at camp and how you — he said this is the most confident he feels he’s seen you play. Do you agree with that? That’s how you kind of build your game, like that?
📌 10:07 Yeah, yeah, just back to the — back to what I’ve been saying, just the balance and the control and just feeling it out there on the court. Like, you feel more confident under pressure like in traffic, in small spaces, and I think that’s what shows. That’s why it looks that way.
10:23 Strength that may seem to think they’re strong. You’re going to the rim, bouncing off people. Is that where you feel it?
📌 10:26 Yeah just the footwork and the balance and everything kind of gives off that perception because when I’m driving, I’m on balance and it’s just the learning stuff I’ve been doing, is what I think all of that can attest to.
10:45 Shooting off movement, coming off screens, how good did that part of your game start to feel?
📌 10:49 Yeah, that’s been the latest part of the journey. Me and Lainn (Wilson) have been working on it every day pretty much, just being able to come off. And then in the weight room too, just that movement stuff, being able to come off at high speed, stop and control my body for the jump shot.
11:03 What do you think of the depth of this team?
11:07 Yeah, I think we’ve showed it all preseason, how deep we can be, how deep we are. And I think that’s the most one of the underrated things about the best teams, is the depth in which what can you withstand throughout a long NBA season?
11:21 I asked you this on Media Day. (inaudible) — a week away from this extension deadline. How are you seeing that situation right now?
11:34 Again, just trust my agent, trust the people that I pay to focus on that and get the best out of that situation. But I can do what I can, which is play basketball. So that’s what I’ve been up to.
00:00 First of all, haircut. Nice cut. What led you to decide to (say), okay, you’re just gonna cut it off.
00:08 JONATHAN KUMINGA: I cut it because I had a lot of hair. And I told me cutting my hair, I will still have the same color, but all my new growth were changing colors. So I’m gonna go back to my, to the same color soon.
00:22 When you saw, when Steph left the game, did you know what was going on? He left the floor and went to the locker room.
00:27 Uhh, nah, I thought he was done. I thought he was just done.
00:32 Oh, okay. No, they said he had a jammed right finger. He didn’t come back.
00:36 He good? He okay?
00:38 Sounds like it.
00:39 Great.
00:40 Okay, and lastly, you guys were able to, you watched the team win the game down the stretch here with guys that are two-way guys and what was that like, just watching those guys hustle their way to win this game?
00:52 As you see, I think coming back from second half, our energy kind of dropped and those guys just came in there and just picked up that energy from where we left it, and everybody was a part of that group, but just came in there and just gave all they had. And I think that’s what’s going to be for us all here, just giving as much energy as we — as you have, because we got a lot of people that if you tired, somebody else gonna come in, get it where you left it. So that’s all we need, just all season.
01:28 You hit one pull-up three off a hesitation dribble. We know that Steve wants you to shoot and shoot when you’re open. But is that the kind of shot that you see yourself taking in the regular season?
📌 01:38 Nah, not at all. Not at all. Just one of a million. Only when it matters. Only when it’s needed. I would take it, but it’s not something I’m chasing or hunting. And all my coaches was yelling at me talking about 33 on the clock. So I just took that. Because we got to go for two-for-one, so I just took that shot.
01:59 And Steve said that he thought you guys played a little bit tired today. He said you guys need a day off, and you’re getting one tomorrow. Do you feel like you guys are tired and need a day off?
02:09 It’s preseason, it’s a lot of practice. We’ve been practicing a lot. High, high energy every single day. Every day when we come down here to fight, we’re practicing a lot, making — working on new plays, working on a lot of different stuff. So, maybe some guys’ legs might be a little tired, but we’re going to be ready. This is just part of our practice out there and just getting to know each other.
02:34 To that point, JK, do you like getting this much practice time in, considering how hard it is sometimes to practice during the season? Like, is it enjoyable to get all these practices in at this time?
02:42 It is. It is, because you keep learning more, as much as you have practice. That’s just how that connection comes, being around these guys, as much as time as we can, or we can get to practice, it’s always good ’cause you learning new stuff, we get to put a lot of stuff in like deep on defense and on offense.
03:06 Jonathan, are you happy with your rebounding number tonight and how much of that has been a focus of camp for you or was it? Seven.
03:15 Seven. It’s a point of focus. It’s one of the parts I want to focus, not just focusing on scoring, on playing defense, just trying to be all around, just all over, just trying to help on our board as much as I can. . And that’s something I really like, like I started working on last year and getting better. It’s something that I really just want to take it to the highest level and just keep doing it.
03:39 It’s not something where you have like a target number or anything that you’re doing?
📌 03:43 No, no, no, no, no. It would be good for me to get 10 or more, but just being out there fighting, pushing people around and trying to grab a rebound or helping my teammate to give him the time, take that rebound, that’s all that matters. That’s what I’m working on, too
04:07 You mentioned how you guys gonna have to, like, hustle and really kind of exhaust yourselves because you have a deep team now. How many guys on this team do you think? I mean, Steve was saying yesterday that he thought you guys have at least 13 guys that can play. When you look at that locker room and when you practice with these guys, what are you seeing about this team’s depth overall?
04:29 We’re very, very deep. Yeah. On each position, and our team, we don’t really have a role, since I could go four guards and one big, and I think it’s a good thing, because it helps all around, and that’s what I’ve been seeing, everybody know how to play. Everyone is capable of playing so it’s gonna be hard for Coach Steve to pick who’s gonna play a lot. But the more we all play together and help us each other win games, that’s all it matters.
05:04 When did you find out you’re gonna start tonight?
05:07 MOSES MOODY: Right before the game.
05:08 And just what was your mentality coming into the game? What did you want to kind of go out there and do?
05:13 It’s preseason. So, these games, we’re working on stuff. We’re working on the stuff we’re practicing on. So just getting the rhythm, getting on the defensive side. We got some points of emphasis that I wanted to be sure to focus on. So just cleaning up all the details.
05:28 What did you like about the way you got your offense tonight?
05:33 Just figuring out ways to score, reading the defense, seeing what the defense give me. I don’t feel like I took a lot of bad shots. So just, efficiency.
05:45 I’m not sure how often that starting lineup will play together. What did you think of it and the pros and cons of how you guys played?
05:52 Yeah, it’s preseason. So they’re trying different stuff, seeing how stuff play out. I think it was cool. We got to win. So I guess we’ll see how it goes.
06:03 Moses, what’s been — what was your main focus coming into camp? Did you have a specific goal, specific anything that you wanted to get accomplished this year?
06:12 Yeah, for sure. I didn’t play as much as I wanted to last year. So I obviously wasn’t in a place to where I needed to be. So over the summer, like I’ve been saying, just put a lot of work in on, the small things, the details. So I put a lot of work in over the summer. So training camp is your first opportunity to really showcase that work. So that’s just my mentality of it. I’m not even necessarily looking for the gratification this early on. You see how I go, but I did the work. So it’ll show.
06:45 Did that not starting last year, or (not) playing as much as you want to mess with you mentally at all?
📌 06:52 I mean, it would if anybody doesn’t get what they want, then it’s gonna mess with them to a certain level. But as a grown-up going to work, you gotta think of it like that. You’re not in Pee-Wee playing with your friends, getting as much playing time as you want. Like, now it’s a job. So, that’s what it’s about. Taking that, seeing stuff for what it is, not taking stuff personal and just putting your Big Boy pants up, going to work, seeing the situation. You want to change the situation, then change yourself. That’s my mindset.
07:26 You’ve always had that mindset. You’ve never complained. We all know that Steve knows it. Is there any part of you that might think that that could hurt you in a weird way?
📌 07:37 Yeah, it does for sure. I’ve even been told that. But if I change my ways because of something else, then now I’m out here doing some goofy stuff and I’m getting away from my principles. So if you — if you’re moving off of your principles, I’m not doing it for nobody else. I’m not being professional for nobody else. I’m being professional because that’s the best way for me mentally to come to work every day, to go into life, to approach life. So I can’t change that because if you do it to get something out of it, then that’s how these dudes get lost. And that’s when you get out here and you’re doing wild stuff and you can’t — unpredictable, just because you got too far away from your principles. So, I mean, I gotta play it out, gotta be who I am and play it out that way because, I saw — I don’t even remember. I know y’all be talking about me with all the quotes. My man Ty Jerome, he posted something a while ago saying, you gotta play the hand that you’re dealt like it’s your own. Because what could be more fitting? Like, what hand could be more fitting? ‘Cause it’s your hand. So that *is* your own. So you gotta play the hand that your dealt. I can’t remember it word for word, but it would have fit perfectly right here.
00:00 KYLE ANDERSON: I’m kind of scared of San Diego. I’m not gonna lie. Dodgers too, but no, I don’t really. Both gonna be tough.
00:14 How was practice today? Steve mentioned being dissatisfied with the defensive effort yesterday, especially in the first half. What did you guys work on? And what did you take away from the kind of–
00:24 Yeah, 66 points at the half was just too much. We obviously got another step or maybe a few more steps to take there. But, I think today the energy was good. It’s still preseason, like, you know, just you’re out there making bonehead mistakes, you know, things you just got to get cleaned up for the regular season. So, you know, it’s — you just got to be wise with it. Watch film, learn from it and go from there.
00:50 Kyle, Steve was in here a minute ago and he said that he has like at least 13 guys who should be rotational.
00:57 Yeah.
00:58 You’ve been on some good teams. Are you seeing this team’s depth?
📌 01:02 Yeah, it’s a lot of us. It reminds me a lot of my team that when we lost to Golden State when Kawhi got injured, like, you know, Kawhi and Tony Parker went down, you got Derek White, Dejounte Murray, and myself on the bench who are, you know, NBA guys now, but we were ready to step up and contribute at minutes. So, you know, we’re a real deep team, it’s going to be tough on him, just like he had to do in the summer with figuring out lineups and rotations, as, you know, that’s a job I’m happy I don’t have. Haha.
01:34 Jonathan shot the ball really well yesterday decision is when he’s making shots. What does that open up?
01:39 Yeah, that’s tough. I think that opens up the floor a lot, a lot more opportunity for him to get downhill and get to the rim. That’s what he really wants to do. So when he’s knocking down that open one, that’s huge. I mean, we’re gonna need that from him. Dray shot the ball well as well, like, you know, and if we could shoot the ball well like that all season, you know,
01:58 Just the importance, I mean, 0.5 basketball, right? How does that play a role in what this team wants? It looks like you guys are playing a lot of 0.5 basketball.
02:05 Yes, it’s a big role because we have so many weapons out there. You know, you got Melton, Buddy playing and shooting the way they did. JK, Dray, you got guys like myself and Wiggs, like it’s, just a lot of weapons, a lot of guys who can make things happen. So, you know, for us to hold the basketball would just be doing us a disservice. You know, if we don’t have something, we get off it to the next guy and we know we’re gonna make something happen.
02:30 You’ve been around De’Anthony a bit. So what do you like, what do you know about him and what are you seeing from him since he’s looking pretty healthy?
02:37 Yeah. I mean pretty much the same thing you guys know. He can shoot the ball really well. He’s just a good overall player. Like, you know, he guards. He does everything. He can rebound really well. He has long arms. He’s athletic. He gets deflections. Knocks down shots. He can play the point for you. Like, he just does a lot of everything for me. He’s like a complete basketball player. That’s why I’ve always liked his game.
03:00 You may have just answered it a little bit there, but do you see any of, like, Derrick White in Melton?
📌 03:06 Oh, I never really thought of that. But yeah, yeah, you kind of do. That’s a really good point, actually. I’ve never thought of that. But, you know, looking at it, you know, D.White is a guy that does everything, anything you ask him to do. D.White’s sneaky, athletic. He can shoot the ball. That’s the same thing as Melt. So, yeah, that’s, that’s a very good comparison. See you guys. That’s it. You got one more. I think, yeah, I think that’s it for now. Cool.
03:32 You look like you want another question though.
03:33 I don’t. I just wanna go home to my son.
03:39 From all indications from what we’ve seen, you’ve had a really strong camp, strong start to the preseason. How would you assess the way you’ve played so far?
03:47 MOSES MOODY: Yeah, really strong, even like practice-wise behind the scenes, everything’s been going really good for me.
03:54 Are there any specific areas where you feel like things are going well?
📌 03:58 Yeah. like I said, in the off-season, I worked a lot on movement, so I feel a lot better, like small little aches and pains that I was feeling at first. I figured out way better ways to move more efficiently. Same thing for coming into my shot. Even the shots that I missed. I know why I missed. I feel my body better, the ball-handling, Just being more comfortable with it, being able to make decisions, make plays. I feel really good stylistically.
04:28 How do you feel like you fit just with transition up tempo? It feels like the whole team is playing together really well like that. How do you feel in that kind of system?
📌 04:36 Yeah, I like it because, like I said, like being able to move better, move freely without the aches and pains and all of that, like, that allows me to be able to run up and down, play, jump, fly, move, play defense like I feel really good.
04:50 What did you do to change the way you move?
📌 04:52 Yeah, it’s all been learning. I mean, I’m from Little Rock, Arkansas, so I’ve searched for it all my life and I’ve been able to find it. I used to, I had a trainer back home that, he came, he knew that he knew my coach. So then I just started riding with him after school and I’m going to work out at his gym. Like, so I’ve always been looking for training and the right ways to do stuff. But, like at this level, I’m exposed to Rick (Celebrini). I’m exposed to the training staff here in the summertime. I was working at a Proactive, I worked out with my guy Dash, and that’s been the theme all summer, just learning the right way to do stuff. ‘Cause a lot of, like, I’ve always been on the search for knowledge, but I’m not having — it hasn’t always been available to me. So now that I’m — now that it is, it’s maximizing that, it’s learning.
05:37 And does that mean like the way you’re running, like your gait, does it mean —?
📌 05:43 It’s like the simple stuff, the basics. Like I said, I’m from Little Rock, so a long way from any NBA team or anything like that. So I just, I grew up playing. I just got straight to playing, but figuring out the right way to start running and take off with power, the right way to stop, how your foot should hit the ground. How to, like just, just all of those like basic type of things, it’s things that I’ve been working on.
06:06 Moses, when you guys shoot like you did last night and win the game in an opposing arena like that, even though it’s a preseason game, obviously, but what’s the feeling like when you leave the arena? About in terms of how the team feels.
06:20 A lot better than the last time we left that arena. Nah, it feels good just to like, you know, we do it, we do it in practice, but then to be able to do it with the jersey on and then do it, knock it down at such a high velocity like that. That’s really, that’s really good for you, for your feel.
06:37 You have been on a championship team here. Yet, I keep hearing about how deep this team is. Are you seeing that?
06:44 Yeah, yeah, definitely is a lot of talent.
06:47 When you say a lot of talent, what are you seeing that makes it makes you believe this team could be really good?
📌 06:53 Stack was talking about it today. He was getting on to somebody. I really like Stack for one, but, just he from the ACC. Like, I like the way he talk. I like the way he get on this stuff to where it’s like, he might be talking to you like aggressively and all that, but he’s trying to tell you something like, get it, feel it, rather than the whole not trying to hurt your feelings and all of that. Then it get confusing. But, he was saying something about just the, like, the intensity that we can play with just because of the depth, like, the way that we can play. And I can’t make the point exactly how he said it, but what he said, I liked it.
07:34 Well, I mean, Stack, you know, yeah, he doesn’t mess around, you know, he gives it to you straight. But, and Steve was in here earlier and he said that, you know, he’d liked the offense, but didn’t like the defense last night. Is that something that Stack may be addressed?
07:48 Yeah, but it’s like, it’s small stuff. Like we got beat back door a couple of times. I let, I got beat middle a couple of times. But, overall, like, those are mistakes that you can say that was the problem, rather than everybody confused on stuff, or like, none of us know where to be, or you getting beat every time, both ways, whatever it is, it’s like you can address what that problem is and you can fix that.
08:14 Yeah, now, Steve also said that he has at least 13 guys that are rotation NBA players on this roster. When you hear that, what do you think?
08:23 Go do your thing.
08:27 What does it mean for you?
08:29 I mean, I’m on a deep team.
08:30 Yeah.
08:30 So, you know, competition, competitiveness, we’ll see how it goes.
08:36 We’ve seen you, I think, in the last practice earlier this week, working in the ones group with Wiggins. How has he looked just in terms of getting back from his illness?
08:45 Yeah, yeah, he’s looking good. We were working out together today after practice. The ones is always fun, just getting that, just getting able to work on your game, play with some stuff. but yeah, he’s looking good.
08:58 How did you do in ones today?
08:59 We didn’t play ones, we just worked out together.
09:02 Light day.
09:03 Yeah, yeah.
09:05 How are you going to play this year?
09:07 LINDY WATERS III: We shot it, fantastically. You know, I kept looking up at the, the little stats. Pretty much shot 60 percent from three the whole game. Everybody was feeling good, sharing the ball. Yeah. And then I was just rubbing off, as new rotations, new players came in, the ball just kept moving, kept going in for us, Realistically, you know, that’s what we’re going to shoot for. You know, that’s our confidence is going to always be there. Some nights it won’t. So, our focus right now is defensively. If we can hold teams under a certain amount of points, whether the shots go in or not, we’ll be fine.
09:46 What do you like about the pace you guys are playing with?
09:49 Yeah, it’s a another key that we’re working on is just trying to play faster get the ball at the net, get it up the floor. We want, you know, easy corner threes or layups. So I like the pace that we run and you know as we start to get more comfortable with these sets and in the flows and the personnel I think it’ll just get better and better as a defender.
10:13 What’s it like playing against teams that have that kind of pace? I mean, what does that do to a defense?
10:19 It’s tough. You know, they got to really be locked in with the communication side of things. When you have multiple shooters out on the floor, there’s, you know, there’s threats all over, opens up slip lanes, back cuts. But just like the constant movement and the unpredictability of the offense is just really hard to guard.
10:41 Lindy, Steve was in here earlier and he said that he feels like he has at least 13 players that are rotation type players in the NBA. And you’re one of those guys. What do you think about this team’s depth and what you’re seeing from the team overall?
10:53 Oh, yeah, we’re really deep. But that’s just a testament of this organization and the guys that we have in the locker room. We all come in and put the work in and we’re all ready for our opportunity. Yeah. And, you know, when our numbers is called, we’re going to show up. So no matter who’s on the floor, you know, we’re rooting for him. And our main goal is just to win every single game.
11:17 While admitting that the defense wasn’t where you wanted to be last night, when you shoot the ball that well as a team, what’s the feeling like when you leave the arena?
11:27 You know, offensively, it feels good. But you got to look yourself in the mirror and, find out what you can get better at. You know, something I took away from Oklahoma City was just trying to get better every single game, win or lose. You can kind of get foggy in all the wins, and you don’t improve. So, just watching film, individually trying to get better, and as a team locking in on the things that we can do. And, you know, just carry it on to the next day.
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