Golden State Warriors rookie Moses Moody said this week that he modeled his game after former seven-time NBA All-Star Joe Johnson growing up because of the connection to his hometown.
Moody revealed he gravitated toward Johnson because both are from Little Rock, Arkansas. Watching a guy from the same hometown as him caught his attention early on, and knew he wanted to pattern himself around Johnson.
When I was young, I watched a lot of Joe Johnson. He’s from the city. He’s from Little Rock. He came back every year and played in the Dunbar League. He came back every summer, played there and put on tournaments around the city. He was kinda the blueprint, and that was just somebody I always looked up to and said, ‘When I make it, I want to be like him.’
The 14th pick recently wrapped up a strong showing in the Las Vegas Summer League with the Warriors, averaging 16.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.3 steals and one assist in four games. He produced his best game with 22 points, three rebounds and two steals on Aug. 13.
He has had the opportunity to practice in the days leading up to training camp with several of the veterans on the Warriors. The workouts have given him a chance to pick their brain on different areas of the game as he continues to transition to the NBA.
Moody projects to develop into a strong 3-and-D player with the Warriors, and could even turn out to be one of the biggest steals of the draft. Certainly, watching Johnson growing up should only help his chances at a smooth transition.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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