Interesting article on Moody and the Warriors in today's SF Gate.
https://www.sfgate.com/warriors/article/moses-moody-conundrum-steve-kerr-mike-dunleavy-19410930.phpThe Golden State Warriors need to figure out their Moses Moody conundrumBy Gabe Fernandez
April 18, 2024
For as much as the Golden State Warriors’ defeat at the hands of the Sacramento Kings answered a lot of questions about the limitations of this past season’s roster, it opened up one particular question about the team’s future: What the hell are the Dubs going to do with Moses Moody?
The former lottery pick from Arkansas finished his third season in the NBA with arguably the best performance on the team in Tuesday’s 118-94 loss. Yet the fact that he was in the game at all to put up 16 points, three rebounds and an assist — good for a team-high plus-three on the night — was a happy little accident. Moody told reporters Wednesday that he wasn’t supposed to be in the rotation, and it wasn’t until the Dubs went down double digits that he heard his number called onto the floor.
This message changing at seemingly the drop of a hat is Moody’s career in Golden State distilled. One second he’s part of the rotation, he’s performing well, and then he’s suddenly demoted to garbage-time minutes only to face DNPs for a week straight.
“I mean that’s kind of been the storyline all year, not knowing how much playing time I’m going to get,” Moody told reporters Wednesday.
To his credit, the 21-year-old has looked at his career through the lens of continued growth, and rather than bemoaning the lack of playing time, he just wants to get better year after year. But at some point, that growth needs to yield results, and he’s repeatedly demonstrated that when he’s given the time to flourish on the court, good things can happen. His skill set at this moment is mostly Guy Who Plays Really Hard — which, for a team that needs to get younger and more athletic, is the perfect kind of role to have regularly available.
This past season saw career highs in almost every single statistical category, and it’s worth remembering that he’s only 21 years old. He can get so much better, but that’s something that can only happen if he gets more reps.
The Warriors chalk the lack of opportunities up to an overcrowded field. Both head coach Steve Kerr and general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. mentioned it’s difficult to find space for Moody with all of the talent in the positions he plays. Kerr went as far as to note that lineup combinations have also been a big question mark with regard to where Moody fits best. The Dubs coach might not have the best track record of playing young players, but he’s still got a point. Moody’s best lineups statistically last season were with five-man squads that were generally undersized. The best lineup, per NBA.com’s stats, featured Moody, Steph Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Jonathan Kuminga and Draymond Green. It was a solid plus-27, but it tops out at 6-foot-6 in height. Not great for a rebound-starved roster.
At the same time, perhaps some of that crowded field comes from players who might not be worthy of a spot ahead of Moody at this stage of their career. Andrew Wiggins and Klay Thompson might be more talented overall, but both have seriously regressed this past season, with little indication that next year will be much better. If younger players like Kuminga, Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis can make proper leaps in their respective games, then Moody could slot in to take the space of an athletic wing with an average shooting stroke. Case in point: Moody’s second-best statistical lineup featured him, Curry, Wiggins, Podziemski and Jackson-Davis at a plus-10 on the season. Imagine how much better that would look next season replacing a declining Wiggins with a rising Kuminga?
The good news for Moody is that at least the front office acknowledges this need for playing time.
“I think it’s really important coming into Year 4 for him that there is some reasonable playing time available for him where he can impact our team and be out there and continue to improve,” Dunleavy Jr. told reporters Thursday. “I think that’s a fair thing.”