For years the careers of Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody have been characterized by limited playing time, and as a case of what could have been for the Golden State Warriors.

Franz Wagner was taken a pick after Kuminga in the 2021 NBA Draft, while the likes of Alperun Sengun and Trey Murphy III were taken after Moody. It looked for a long time like the Warriors missed on those lottery selections, with hope fading that both Kuminga and Moody could be long-term high-impact pieces for the franchise.

Yet that hope has been resuscitated over recent times, and was delivered a massive dose of oxygen on Thursday night as the Warriors comfortably accounted for the Sacramento Kings in a 130-104 victory at Chase Center.

Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody combined for 35 points on Thursday

Kuminga was starting to take a significant leap prior to his untimely injury on January 4, having averaged over 24 points and eight rebounds in the six full games before turning his ankle.

As disappointing as the injury was, the silver lining may have been that it opened a pathway for Moody to finally grab hold of a consistent rotation role. Not only has Moody done that, but he’s now a solidified starter on a team that’s an extraordinary 17-1 when he starts.

Kuminga’s return from injury on Thursday was notable for a multitude of reasons, with one of those being that it signified one of the best combined games that the fourth-year lottery picks have played together — at least in games where the veterans have also played and Steve Kerr has had almost a full rotation available to him.

Kuminga exploded back to action with 18 points in only 20 minutes, shooting 7-of-10 from the floor and grabbing three rebounds while electrifying the crowd with a series of dunks in the fourth-quarter. Moody’s performance may have grabbed less fanfare, but it was arguably even more impressive as he finished with 17 points, four rebounds and a career-high six assists on 4-of-6 3-point shooting.

The ironic aspect to the Jimmy Butler trade is that while it was a ‘win-now’ move to provide more support to Curry and Draymond Green, but it’s also helped the young players take another step in their futures.

With Kuminga, Moody, Brandin Podziemski, Quinten Post and Gui Santos, Golden State’s young core all of a sudden looks far brighter than it did two months ago. The two fourth-year lottery picks are at the head of that, with Joe Lacob’s controversial two-timeline plan suddenly — in a weird and round-about way — actually coming to fruition slightly.