The Golden State Warriors lost a handful of key pieces via free agency, with the likes of Gary Payton II, Otto Porter Jr., and Nemanja Bjelica all heading to greener pastures. There's no denying that these are some significant losses for the champs, but as they always say, whenever a door closes, another one opens.
This appears to be the case for incoming second-year shooting guard Moses Moody, who himself had a rather modest rookie campaign with Golden State last season. The departure of Payton, in particular, opens up an opportunity for Moody to make a bigger impact on the team next season. There is no doubt at this point that the 20-year-old is raring to go:
“Right now, I feel like I’m a good defender,” Moody said, via Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “I use my length. I use my size. Reactivity. All that. But I want to cause more havoc. Right now, you can’t really get past me. But I want to speed you up. I want to mess with the ball. Make you have to get off it. Upping the pressure. I want to add that intensity to my defense.”
Payton earned a big payday when he decided to sign with the Portland Trail Blazers. As it turns out, the Warriors were unwilling to offer him the same amount of money, which could be attributed in part to how high they are on Moody.
Moses Moody isn't expected to crack the starting lineup in his sophomore year. However, he can still be a big contributor to the Warriors as an impact player coming off the bench. For his part, the former Arkansas standout is more than willing to take on this role:
“Go in there. Do what I do,” Moody said. “Try to win another championship. Try to make myself beneficial. Make it to the point where if I’m getting into the game, it’s not because someone likes me. It’s not doing me a favor. I want to be needed. I want you to think ‘I need Moses on the floor.’ That’s on me. I gotta make that the scenario.”
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