Lost in the shuffle of Klay Thompson’s donut of a scoreless 0-of-10 shooting performance in what would be his final game with the Warriors, a fitting 24-point blowout loss against the Sacramento Kings in the NBA Play-In Tournament to end a disappointing season for all, was a 21-year-old showing he’s ready to step into impossible shoes to fill.
Yet Moses Moody, now 22, appears the victim of the numbers game again going into his ever-important fourth season for the team that used the final pick of the lottery on him in the 2021 NBA Draft.
Andrew Wiggins wasn’t the Warriors’ second-leading scorer behind Steph Curry’s 22 points in the Warriors’ shellacking to the team up north who no longer are Golden State’s little brother. Neither were future Hall of Famers Chris Paul and Draymond Green, or First Team All-Rookie selection Brandin Podziemski.
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It was Moody and Jonathan Kuminga, the Warriors’ two first-round picks three years ago, who finished second in points behind only Curry, scoring 16 points apiece. But Kuminga did so in 28 minutes off the bench on 6-of-15 shooting and was a minus-22. Moody on the other hand was a team-high plus-3, scoring 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting – including 2 of 4 from 3-point range – in 15 minutes in reserve.
Two days later when Steve Kerr met the media, the Warriors’ coach was asked about where Moody stands after coaching him for three years and his answer was a microcosm of what has held a player always praised for his maturity back when it comes to opportunities.
“I think there's a crowded field of people in Moses's realm, where he is on our roster,” Kerr said. “There's a lot of other guys. He's a really good player and he's a young player who still has a lot of room for growth.”
Then, despite Thompson deciding to don a Dallas Mavericks jersey in free agency, general manager Mike Dunleavy’s wheeling and dealing only created more obstacles for Moody to overcome.
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Dunleavy went out and added three quality veterans to Kerr’s rotation in De’Anthony Melton, Kyle Anderson and Buddy Hield. All three were brought in to play, likely more than Moody.
Melton is more of a candidate to start alongside Curry in the Warriors’ backcourt than Moody is, especially because of his game-changing defensive ability when at full strength. In reality, Moody has become more of a wing than a shooting guard and it’s hard to see him leap a pecking order of Wiggins, Kuminga or newcomer Anderson, who is the kind of connector that feels like the perfect Warrior that Kerr can’t keep off the floor. Kerr wants Moody to be a quicker and more willing 3-point shooter, and there are only a handful of players who are more deadly beyond the arc than Hield.
When given a longer leash, though, the results show up for Moody and the Warriors.
He played 20 or more minutes in 25 games last season. The Warriors went 16-9 in said games, and Moody scored in double figures 16 times. All three of his 20-point performances were in that 25-game sample size in which he averaged 11.8 points and was a plus-78 overall.
“He's a wonderful young guy and I'm always pulling for him and I want him to succeed,” Kerr said to end his answer on Moody more than five months ago. “Frankly, there needs … he needs more opportunity, for sure.”
Will Moody play more than a healthy Gary Payton II? Their skill set is much different, but it’s hard to see Moody entering the game more often than a ready-to-go GP2. That leaves him, what, 11th in the rotation?
Kuminga isn’t the only Warrior from the 2021 draft class in line for a rookie contract extension. So is Moody. One is being talked about as an All-Star in the very near future worth holding onto as opposed to making a megadeal for a second superstar. The other has garnered as many headlines as Gui Santos and Lindy Waters III over the offseason.
Praise and respect for Moody the person has been thrown around non-stop since he first was introduced as a Warrior. Still incredibly young, Moody the player, from an outside view, looks stuck trying to find the correct code for chances to show his worth.
Moody isn’t going to cause headaches and create problems for coaches. His play is his microphone. Taking the next step and swerving through his newest hurdles quietly makes Moody one of the more interesting, under-the-radar stories of the Warriors’ upcoming Hawaii training camp.