The Golden State Warriors will be without Andrew Wiggins for an indefinite period of time; Wiggins' absence comes at the most crucial juncture of the Warriors' season, as they're currently in the middle of their attempt to revive their season amid a topsy-turvy campaign. In Wiggins' stead, head coach Steve Kerr has opted to roll with Moses Moody, pressing him into heavy minutes in the starting lineup.

It has been an inconsistent season for Moody; for much of the season, it seems as though Kerr didn't trust the 21-year old wing to handle a heavy workload. But like with Jonathan Kuminga, the Warriors head coach is realizing that the 14th overall pick of the 2021 NBA Draft has plenty to contribute, crediting him for slowing down Jalen Brunson in the Dubs' 110-99 win over the New York Knicks on Thursday night.

“I thought Moses Moody really stood out tonight. His defense on Brunson, I thought he did a great job of defending him without fouling, just trying to make things difficult,” Kerr said in his postgame presser, via Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “I thought Moses just did a great job of just making it as difficult as possible without fouling, forcing him into some tough shots. That was the key, but I thought our full team defended at a high level tonight.”

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
LeBron James Lakers chasedown block Nuggets Warriors Bob Myers

Peter Sampson ·

Kevin Durant, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Deandre Ayton wearing Warriors jerseys

David Rooney ·

Klay Thompson and Chris Paul

Benedetto Vitale ·

Jalen Brunson is not an easy guy to slow down; he was named to his first All-Star team for a reason, as he has emerged as the Knicks' most dangerous scoring option. While Brunson still scored 27 points, he needed 25 shots to tally that many points, with Moses Moody acting as the Warriors' first line of defense against the Knicks star.

It's the impact that doesn't show up on the box score that will be crucial moving forward for Moody as he tries to endear himself even further to the Warriors coaching staff. Moody may have shot poorly from the field (3-9 overall, 0-5 from deep), but his two-way play, particularly his stout point of attack defense, will be instrumental as Steve Kerr and the Dubs claw their way out of the play-in tournament picture.