Will Richard: “Everybody was crying”
[GSW-NOP videos/interviews/transcripts]
Will Richard, postgame in New Orleans, on when he found out he’d be teammates with one Wardell Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, because the Warriors were his team growing up:
Oh, it was special. My parents were crying. Everybody was crying. They knew this was a dream come true for me, so it was a lot of excitement for sure.
Here’s footage of everybody crying:
Transcripts of Will, Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody from Smoothie King Center last night:
00:00 Moses Moody was cooking out there. What’d you see from him tonight?
00:04 WILL RICHARD, POSTGAME GSW-NOP: Yeah, he was aggressive. he took the right shots, got in the rhythm early and it kind of sustained him through the whole game. Definitely good to see him get it going like that early and help us win.
00:11 Was there a point in first quarter where there was a concerted effort, where Moses got three or four, let’s keeping the ball?
00:19 I would say we were kind of doing it in the flow of our offense. I feel like he was doing a great job of getting to the right spots and we were playing as a team, making the right looks. We find him a lot of times in transition, which helped, just him running hard and making it happen. We’re definitely looking for him to keep him going.
00:34 Will, bigger picture coming in here as the 52nd pick, 52nd?
00:39 56th.
00:39 56? Oh, goodness. What do you think allowed you to fit in so well with this Warriors team?
00:47 Yeah, I’d probably say just my mentality heading into camp and all that. I feel like I asked a lot of questions. I knew I was gonna have to get on the same page as all the vets because everything flows through them, so for me, just asking them a lot of questions early, making sure I’m on the same page, so when my opportunity came, I was ready and didn’t really slack off.
01:03 Are there specific things in your game that you worked on this summer to transition from the college game to the program?
01:09 Yeah, this summer was kind of hard, because I was doing pre-Draft, so I really didn’t have much time to work on my game, but for me, probably just the way I saw the game, making sure I’m in the right spots offensively, shooting and stuff like that. And then watching a lot of film. I felt like I watched a lot of film on all the Warriors and how they move on offense and the rotations on defense, just trying to make sure I was on the same page as everybody else.
01:30 Steve mentioned before the game that you had never set any guard-guard screens at Florida.
01:36 Yeah.
01:36 Felt like you picked that up right away. What allowed you to do that?
01:40 I feel like that just goes back to me watching the Warriors, growing up. I feel like watching their system, I knew that was something that they implemented in their offense a lot, just watching them and then trying to see when to slip in the hold screens and stuff like that, kind of trying to set a difference in that during training camp and all that, definitely helped.
01:56 Were they your team growing up?
01:57 Yeah, for sure.
01:59 So what was it like, you found out you’re gonna be like teammates with Steph and Draymond and these guys?
02:03 Oh, it was special. My parents were crying. Everybody was crying. They knew this was a dream come true for me, so it was a lot of excitement for sure.
02:11 Buddy Hield made a couple threes,, or three threes. Had gone through a bit of cold stretch, but as Steve said, he’s been playing his butt off on defense.
02:18 For sure.
02:19 How good was just, how good did it feel just to see him hit those threes after going through the stretches he’s been through?
02:24 Yeah, it’s really good and, being a shooter, you can go through some cold stretches, so for us, just seeing him keep shooting, that’s what makes it fun. We knew he was gonna get hot at some point. It’s been good just watching him, how he defend at a high level. He’s definitely been making an impact on the other side of the ball as well. To see him get going, it was good to see that.
02:40 And just how confident is this team, three in a row now? Three really good wins, just compared to where you guys were at Oklahoma City to now, just how confident are you guys?
02:49 Yeah, we’re feeling good. We’re starting to figure things out and kind of get on the same page. I feel like we’re feeling good right now.
02:56 Do you have a vet on this team that you’re especially, like, I don’t know, you’re close to, just kind of take you under the wing a little bit?
03:03 I feel like all our vets have really taken me under their wing. Jimmy, Steph and Dray, Al, all them have been so helpful, pulling me aside, telling me things that can help me in my game and in my career. I feel like all of them have been very helpful to me.
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03:21 What’d you like about your game tonight?
03:25 BRANDIN PODZIEMSKI: No turnovers. Just try to do as much as I could, impact winning. That’s about it.
03:32 to get a victory like this, you guys took the lead, stayed in control coming out of the two close games in San Antonio, how significant is that, knowing that there’s the back-to-back coming up?
03:40 I think it Benefits are veterans, for sure. Didn’t have to play up for 30 minutes, besides Jimmy. So just gives him a good rest in that sense. And then obviously tomorrow being off, so with the back to back coming.
03:56 What did you see from Moses today, that first quarter? Was there a look in his eye or something you could tell?
04:02 I mean, moses is a great shooter and he’s not a person that’s gonna talk about himself or be loud about it. But he’s a great shooter, great player, and we needed that tonight, especially the way they were defending Steph, just trying to keep the ball out of his hands, really. And Moses did a great job in that first group, stepping up.
04:23 Looked like you were able to catch up little bit with Loon pregame. Just what did he mean to you as a young player coming to the league, what did you (inaudible) Milwaukee, whatnot? Just how impactful was he for you these past years?
04:34 Yeah, Loon was a big brother to me. Knew him for about forever. Obviously really sad to see him in a different uniform, but I love that man and he’s done a lot for me, both on the basketball court and mentally away from it. And I can’t thank him enough. He’s a big brother to me and just to see him with a smile on his face is a beautiful thing.
04:58 What are some of the main things he taught you?
05:01 Just the important things that when you come into the NBA, you don’t think about and it’s just things that occurred during the season, that happened to you that are kind of unexpected. And to have him as the open ear all the time for me, good, bad or indifferent, he’s the person that’s always been there for me, so I can’t thank him enough.
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05:24 MOSES MOODY: ...when the ball go in enough. Nah, I don’t know. I felt good coming into the game today. They had the music playing. We in New Orleans, it was a good vibe going on.
05:39 (Inaudible) what do you like the most about the way you’re shooting the ball this year, so far?
05:45 I put a lot of work in this summer, just, you putting all that work in thinking that you making them, that you getting better, thinking that you’re just gonna make a difference, but it’s really validating when you get into the season, it actually does.
05:55 What’s the, when’s the last time you were in a zone like that, that you were in in the first quarter, NBA, college, high school?
06:04 I had a couple games of G League for sure, but I had some, I’ve had some games feeling good like that in the NBA too. That’s actually my first time having eight threes. I’ve had, I’ve scored, I’ve hit seven threes like 30 times in my life. I’ve done that plenty of times, but I got an uncle. They told me when I was young that the most he hit was eight. So I’ve been trying to get it my whole life and he’s, like, put a curse on me. I never, I’ve never gotten it, so I’ll probably give him this jersey or something. That’s cool.
06:34 Moses, does it feel like you’re (inaudible)?
06:39 Oh yeah. Oh yeah. I gotta, I had, I would’ve had to gimme a, a boom slamma jamma if it was gonna be NBA Jam, but, nah, it feel good.
06:49 How was it to see Kevon tonight?
06:51 Nah, really good. We talked before the game. That’s my dog. He’s been looking out for me since I came in the door. It’s definitely just cool to connect and have those conversations, hang out with him.
07:03 I feel like everyone’s talked about what a great leader Kevon was, how he connected with younger players. What is it about his leadership style that allows him to do that?
07:12 Good question. It is his leadership style. He’s not the stand on the table, rally together, everybody follow me type of guy, but he knows. He’s the most observant person that I probably know just because he knows what guys are used to doing. So he can tell when somebody’s off. Like, he’s gonna be like, “Man, it’s 35 on the clock. You usually got your shoes tied by now. Everything all right? You good?” It’s just that he just observing like that. In the game. He knows when guys need to get a shot up. “Oh, like Steph ain’t got one. Klay ain’t got one in a minute, he need one.” He’s always paying attention and figuring out ways to look out and yeah, he’s the best.
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