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Gleaning what seem like meaningful takeaways from preseason basketball is always foolish, and the Golden State Warriors didn't exactly conduct Saturday's exhibition opener like they would a playoff game. Stephen Curry and Draymond Green were done by halftime in Honolulu, while coach Steve Kerr went a full 19-deep into his bench before a red-hot Lindy Waters III sent Golden State to a buzzer-beating 91-90 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Preseason games in the NBA aren't even dress rehearsals. They look much closer to glorified scrimmages than what fans across the globe will be watching once the regular season tips off on October 22nd. But there are at least personnel tendencies and stylistic trends for analysts and die-hards to to monitor before the 82-game grind begins—especially those that confirm prior assumptions or carry over from previous seasons.
Moses Moody scored 12 points, grabbed four rebounds and swiped two steals in 13 minutes against LA, cashing two of his five tries from deep. It was the type of performance that sparks optimism about his present and future, hinting at real if marginal development just in time for restricted free agency next summer or maybe even a contract extension with the Dubs before the deadline passes in a couple weeks.
The problem? Moody served as Golden State's 11th man in the team's preseason debut, leaving him outside Kerr's projected rotation even with Andrew Wiggins sidelined by illness.
That frustrating dynamic was no doubt familiar to Moody. Even more casual members of Dub Nation are keenly aware of just how difficult it's been for Moody to find a consistent role with the Warriors the past two seasons, his performance once he finally got on the floor seemingly ignored by the coaching staff for better or worse.
Don't be surprised if that same scenario plays out in 2024-25. Despite losing Klay Thompson in free agency and letting Chris Paul walk, the same roster crunch that squeezed Moody out of regular minutes last season could doom him again.
Kerr on Moody: “It’s a numbers game. The only thing any of these guys can do is go out and have a great camp and make it really hard on us as decision-makers, and Moses is having a great camp. He’s playing great. All he can do is just keep doing what he’s doing.” pic.twitter.com/UPzFIhOnhE
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) October 7, 2024
“It's a numbers game,” Kerr said Monday of Moody's prospective place in the rotation. “The only thing any of these guys can do is go out and have a great camp and make it really hard on us as decision-makers. Moses is having a great camp; he's playing great. All he can do is keep doing what he's doing.”
Moses Moody's realistic place with new-look Warriors
There was an early notion over the summer that Moses Moody could step right into the shoes left by Thompson in Golden State's backcourt. But that was before full parameters of the sign-and-trade that sent Thompson to the Dallas Mavericks were revealed, bringing another veteran guard into the fold—along with free agent signee De'Anthony Melton—who would compete with Moody for playing time.
Buddy Hield, to be clear, isn't in line to start next to Stephen Curry at guard. But acquiring a specialist to help address their biggest need of three-point shooting only further complicates Moody's path to a reliable game-by-game role with the Warriors this season—particularly because dreams of him starting have already been dashed.
Melton or Brandin Podziemski seem bound to open at nominal shooting guard alongside Curry, affording Golden State additional playmaking and pace Moody just can't provide. Whoever comes off the bench between them is essentially locked in as the Warriors' first small off the bench, with Jonathan Kuminga or Trayce Jackson-Davis playing a similarly pivotal reserve role depending whether Kerr opts to start bigger or smaller.
That's seven players guaranteed rotation minutes without accounting for Hield, bound for playing time due to his blend of volume, accuracy and movement from deep as Golden State stresses the need to generate triples. Kyle Anderson doesn't help in that regard, but provides ancillary playmaking and positional versatility on defense the Warriors want up front. If Kevon Looney is on the outside looking in with three bigs already ahead of him, that leaves Moody vying for court time with franchise favorite Gary Payton II, a defensive dynamo who ignites transition and boasts a passing and screening mind-meld with Curry.
We would know by now if Moody had made the major leap going into 2024-25 that his most staunch proponents have long believed is coming. He's a solid three-point shooter at worst who can effectively drive a close-out with two or three dribbles, doubling as a disruptive help defender with active hands on the other end. But the lack of suddenness and explosiveness that prevents Moody from getting all the way to the rim and serving as an ace on-ball defender persists, and there's no indication he's improved enough on the strongest aspects of his game to compensate for those deficiencies.
Team context is everything for reserves in the NBA. No one is denying that Moody could make a sustained impact off the pine for a team light on above replacement-level wings That common knowledge is likely to get him paid come July even if the 22-year-old is mostly stuck toward the end of the bench this season, mostly getting burn in circumstances of injuries or specific matchups.
Either way, Moses Moody's play in 2024-25 is pivotal for not just his place with the Warriors, but the league at large. How he'll get enough playing time to prove his lasting worth to Golden State or even another franchise, though, remains to be as the most significant season of his young career begins.
