Moses Moody fell out of the Golden State Warriors' rotation less than three weeks into 2022-23, spending the majority of the ensuing regular season stuck on the bench—especially when the Dubs were healthy. But that didn't stop him from grasping hold of a regular spot in the lineup during Golden State's playoff run, Steve Kerr comfortable dusting Moody off for his team's most important games and biggest moments after the young wing's “breakthrough” in late-season practices.
Still just 21, Moody enters his third season in the NBA without a concrete for the Warriors once again. First-year GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. revamped the bottom half of Golden State's roster this summer, bringing in Chris Paul, Dario Saric, Cory Joseph and rookies Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis. Opportunities for playing time exist beyond the Dubs' top-six, with Gary Payton II and Jonathan Kuminga already earmarked for nightly rotation slots. Saric could emerge as a mainstay off the bench, too.
Where does that leave Moody as 2023-24 fast approaches? Kerr touched on the former lottery pick's current standing Wednesday after Warriors practice, specifying two areas of improvement Moody must continue honing in hopes of earning rotation minutes this season.
“He’s working every day on all of the skills that are necessary to become a complete player and a rotation player. Last year I thought where he really improved was crashing the glass on offense; he did a great job of that in the playoffs,” Kerr told ClutchPoints of Moody. “He’s still learning a lot of skills necessary to be a wing/guard who’s gonna handle the ball. In our offense there’s a lot of movement, you gotta recognize patterns. If Steph’s in the corner and you’re at the wing, you gotta cut through and create that space for Steph. That’s an example of something we’re working with him on, recognizing all that.”
Moses Moody's role with Warriors in 2023-24
Moody averaged 5.8 points and 2.6 rebounds in 13.4 minutes during the postseason, appearing in Golden State's last 12 games after sitting for the duration of their playoff opener. He shot 47.6% on twos and a scorching 59.1% from deep, albeit on just 22 long-range tries—just over half his field goal attempts. The Warriors had Moody guarding De'Aaron Fox, Malik Monk, LeBron James and Austin Reaves, among others, deploying him as a readily switchable on-ball defender.
On paper, no other reserve wing on the roster combines deep shooting touch, defensive versatility and a commitment to doing the dirty work better than Moody. But he was reluctant to launch at times in the postseason, while his foot speed defending the ball leaves a bit to be desired against quick, crafty guards. In concert with his still-developing off-dribble game and understanding of Golden State's read-and-react offense, those relative deficiencies could make Moody the ninth or tenth man in Kerr's rotation this season—at best.
Don't give up on him if Moody begins the 82-game grind playing that relatively small role or even getting DNP-CDs, though. The Dubs love his approach and know he's still on the early part of the growth curve, confident Moses Moody's best basketball—not to mention heavier minutes loads—lie soon ahead of him.
“It just takes time. This is a different game here, the NBA. It’s not something that you adapt to easily right away, especially with just one year of college,” Kerr said. “He’s still working on all that stuff, and as he gets better and better with his recognition and all that stuff, he’ll have a better and better chance to play.”
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