Q. How different do you feel coming into year two, as opposed to like this time last year?
MOSES MOODY: Yeah, I got some -- I got some time under my belt, some battle wounds. I've been to the promised land, so been through an NBA season, the ups and downs. So those are all experiences that I have that I didn't have last year.
Q. Last season you had a few welcome to the NBA moments, but with just the decision-making in the off-season, was it different seeing some guys go, and obviously you're going to have a bigger role this year as well?
MOSES MOODY: Most definitely. It was really different seeing guys go, given that that was my situation when I first came into the league, I didn't know anything else. That was the only NBA team I've been on.
So having guys from that core group leave even after winning the championship and going through all of that, those emotions and things together, that was different having people leave the team.
Q. What skills did you add to your bag this off-season?
MOSES MOODY: We been working on a lot. Defense is one big thing. On-ball defense, off-ball defense, getting over screens, getting under screens, figuring things out on that, finishing around the rim is something I've been putting a lot of emphasis on, and, all in all, shooting.
Q. Now that you've had some time to reflect on the postseason run, what specifically do you think you learned from that experience or gained from it?
MOSES MOODY: It was an experience. You know, you can't really prepare for that, the playoffs, the Finals, without actually going through it. And not many people get that opportunity.
So given that I did have that opportunity, just soaking it up, paying attention to everything, every moment within that run, within those experiences, and trying to take the most out of it.
Q. Moses, non-basketball question, short summer for you guys. What was the most enjoyable thing you've done this summer non-basketball related?
MOSES MOODY: So I got a lot of family in Atlanta. I went out to Florida, and they all came up from Atlanta, and we just had a house on the beach. Everybody stayed in the house. It was like a family reunion type of thing for about a week. That was the highlight of the summer, no question.
Q. Coach Kerr said the top six is kind of firm, but after that there's going to be a lot of guys competing for minutes. Obviously you're in that mix. What's it like for a second-year guy be able to come in and have a potential rotation role on a championship team?
MOSES MOODY: That's everything. You know, not many people can say that. Not many people get that opportunity.
So it's just an opportunity, you know. It's just that's what I love to do, compete on the floor, just doing what I can to make myself useful, put myself in a position to where they need me on the floor.
Q. How much specifically or what specifically did you learn being around Steph last year? As a 20-year-old, did you tease him at all about his age, or is that off-limits?
MOSES MOODY: Nah, I really don't. He's -- I try to pay attention as much as I can because with guys like that -- Steph is a kind of introverted person; I wouldn't even want to say that because he is outgoing and talkative and everything, but when I observe and I try to soak up the knowledge from older guys, I try not to just straight ask questions because I feel like, when somebody is giving advice, they will give a different response than they do when they actually do.
Like if I'm asking tips on how to shoot, he might tell me what his trainer is telling him. But if I observe and see how he actually shoots, then I feel like I can get more realistic feedback. And that goes for shooting, that goes for off the court, that goes for how you carry yourself, how you carry your business and things like that. Just observing and trying to figure things out as much as I can.
Q. Last time we talked was during the summer, and I asked if you were going to watch Steph host the ESPY's, and what did you think of his performance?
MOSES MOODY: Yeah, I did. I did watch the ESPY's. That was actually during that trip when I was in -- when I was in Florida when that was going on. So I was kind in and out. I had a lot of little cousins running around the house with Nerf guns. There was a lot going on.
And it was definitely a really good show between him and Dray and Andre. I saw a lot of guys there interacting. It was a good performance for sure.
Q. Does it ever get old being called "Champ"? Is that how people refer to you now?
MOSES MOODY: I have been hearing it, and, no, it doesn't get old. That's something that I heard a lot going through that first season. One of the guys on the training staff was saying: Go and win a championship your first year and have them call you "Champ" for the rest of your career.
That's a cool thing to have him say before and then actually see it through.
Q. You mentioned having the opportunity to fight your way into the rotation. But what specifically do you think you need to improve or impress the coaches with to earn that spot?
MOSES MOODY: I mean, I feel like -- I feel like our coaches, our staff, is really even-keel. So I don't necessarily feel like there is something I can do today that's just going to wow everybody over, like, oh, yeah, we need him.
It's just consistency. Just being the person that I am, putting in the hard work, doing what I do, day-in and day-out, and committing to that internally and making sure I'm holding myself accountable to that every day.
And then what goes on after that, I feel like if I'm able to do that, then I deserve it. And if I deserve it, if it happens, if it doesn't, that's out of my control.
But focus on controlling what I can, which is hard work, consistency, putting it in every day.
Q. There's a lot of talk about what Andre's influence is and what he's able to do for the young guys on this team. Going back to last year, what are the things that you got from being around Andre?
MOSES MOODY: It's a lot. I get a lot from Andre. He's such a big personality on the floor, off the floor, in the locker room, on the plane, on the bus; you know when Andre is in the room.
That's another guy that adds completely different things to the equation. Like I say, I'm paying attention and I'm learning a lot from Steph, as well as Dray, as well as Loon, as well as K.T.
But Andre brings a whole other thing to that equation. He's big on off-the-court investments and just a really intellectual, smart guy. But at the same time, he's relatable, too. He's from where we from, type of thing, built from the same cloth.
So he can communicate those things that I'm not -- that I haven't been exposed to when it comes to the business side of things. But as well as on the court, he's really intellectual on the basketball side, too, and I can ask him questions. He's seen it all.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports