Please sell me on Moses Moody

[GSWFan1994]

I just can't understand why this guy is talked about as a pick in the 6/10 range.

What's his elite skill? What's his long-term potential?

Are his weaknesses fixable?

Thanks in advance.

[babyjax13]

I think I can buy him starting at 10.

He's a big shooting guard who can really defend and hit open threes. If you are drafting for a potential star, he's probably not the guy, but if what you need is a 3+D player with some physicality, I think he's perfect. I get the same general vibe from him that I got from Saddiq Bey in that it is easy to think "man, this guy is nothing special", but then completely overlook that his skills are really translatable to the next level. I think, for example, that New Orleans should covet him. He'd be a fantastic complimentary piece to Ball/Ingram/Zion.

[The-Power]

I think I can buy him starting at 10.

He's a big shooting guard who can really defend and hit open threes. If you are drafting for a potential star, he's probably not the guy, but if what you need is a 3+D player with some physicality, I think he's perfect.

One thing not to overlook with Moody is his elite FTr, which indicates that there might be something more to him as a scorer. 3&D role players typically don't score 17 PPG with an elite FTr as freshmen in college.

That being said, I would also be more comfortable drafting him in the late lottery – but that's true for basically any prospect after the top 5, so you might as well draft Moody in that 6-10 range.

[Charm]

He's a year younger than some of the other freshmen, so he's a bit of a project. But if you look at him as essentially a high school senior who went and led the SEC in win shares, that's not half bad, right? He's got good physical tools and a variety of skills; he just needs another year to two to put it all together.

[babyjax13]

I think I can buy him starting at 10.

He's a big shooting guard who can really defend and hit open threes. If you are drafting for a potential star, he's probably not the guy, but if what you need is a 3+D player with some physicality, I think he's perfect.

One thing not to overlook with Moody is his elite FTr, which indicates that there might be something more to him as a scorer. 3&D role players typically don't score 17 PPG with an elite FTr as freshmen in college.

That being said, I would also be more comfortable drafting him in the late lottery – but that's true for basically any prospect after the top 5, so you might as well draft Moody in that 6-10 range.

My one worry with that FTr is that he has a really weird issue on his drives of absolutely trucking defenders, and does not have a ton of lateral wiggle. He may be an offensive foul machine when he starts in the NBA - but I agree it is promising and hints that there is another aspect of his game that can be unlocked.

[clyde21]

i mean it's kinda pretty straightforward, NBA-level physical profile at a premium NBA position/role, high basketball IQ, good baseline of skills/tools for his size, some two-way potential, very productive for his age in a very athletic conf, has a clear path at least being a decent 3+D swingman, good off-ball chops, and has some strong ancillary skills like FTr and FT%...his ceiling will depend a lot of on his live dribble, shot versatility long-term and general passing/creating but I think high upside as a Jimmy Butler type isn't out of the question if he works on some of those weaknesses.

i can easily make an argument for him at #6 after the big 5 (i have him 7th).

[Stillwater]

Outside of the size and athleticism I am not seeing a good enough first step or ball handler to make anything happen in the NBA beside being a shooter which he is pretty good at except he failed to show up i the big dance in a pretty bad way which could hurt his stock for win now teams in the mid first. I think he can go late lottery but anywhere higher than that will have to have a lot of confidence in him being more than he has shown.

[treefi]

Three selling points:

1) He's nearly a year younger than Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley, and Jalen Suggs

2) His wingspan is over 7'0"

3) He's a very good defender

[treefi]

i mean it's kinda pretty straightforward, NBA-level physical profile at a premium NBA position/role, high basketball IQ, good baseline of skills/tools for his size, some two-way potential, very productive for his age in a very athletic conf, has a clear path at least being a decent 3+D swingman, good off-ball chops, and has some strong ancillary skills like FTr and FT%...his ceiling will depend a lot of on his live dribble, shot versatility long-term and general passing/creating but I think high upside as a Jimmy Butler type isn't out of the question if he works on some of those weaknesses.

i can easily make an argument for him at #6 after the big 5 (i have him 7th).

Jimmy Butler is a great comparison for Moody's upside. Although shockingly, Butler's wingspan is only 6'8".

[PhilBlackson]

Strikes me as a Khris Middleton type.

I think there are multiple players in the same range with higher potential but obviously if you end up with a Middleton type of player you're really not going to complain overall and his floor is high is he'll at least be a solid contributing 3+D player that a team can be confident they at least get that. But personally again I would favor at least several prospects over him outside of the top 5. Overall just seems like a safe pick.

[GSWFan1994]

Strikes me as a Khris Middleton type.

I think there are multiple players in the same range with higher potential but obviously if you end up with a Middleton type of player you're really not going to complain overall and his floor is high is he'll at least be a solid contributing 3+D player that a team can be confident they at least get that. But personally again I would favor at least several prospects over him outside of the top 5. Overall just seems like a safe pick.

Which players do you currently rank ahead of him, Phil?

[Stillwater]

Strikes me as a Khris Middleton type.

I think there are multiple players in the same range with higher potential but obviously if you end up with a Middleton type of player you're really not going to complain overall and his floor is high is he'll at least be a solid contributing 3+D player that a team can be confident they at least get that. But personally again I would favor at least several prospects over him outside of the top 5. Overall just seems like a safe pick.

I don't know if KM has always been clutch but he is it seems now a days & looks to be a better shooter off the dribble so if Moody can add that ability to convert under extreme pressure and coverage then that would be really good value for a prospect who by all accounts looks anything but clutch and probably more like a fringe starter without it. He is pretty athletic and I buy the defensive upside if the length reported is accurate etc but I think he farther away outside of having an nba body than being more than a catch and shoot off ball cutter.

[PhilBlackson]

Strikes me as a Khris Middleton type.

I think there are multiple players in the same range with higher potential but obviously if you end up with a Middleton type of player you're really not going to complain overall and his floor is high is he'll at least be a solid contributing 3+D player that a team can be confident they at least get that. But personally again I would favor at least several prospects over him outside of the top 5. Overall just seems like a safe pick.

Which players do you currently rank ahead of him, Phil?

For me I rank Bouknight (for sure) and Mann over him just because I like their potential more than his.

Again not to say I don't think he'll be a very solid pick and player. I think he has a high floor that at minimum will be one of the better 3+D players in the league. I haven't seen the strength and physicality Kawhi had/has who was a monstrous rebounder and a ton of his game is in and around the post and mid range but again see moreso of a Middleton type of ceiling which is great and no team will complain outside of the top 5 ending up with a player like that. IMO he might be the perfect pick for the Warriors because he can play kind of hybrid role of making up for what you guys lost with Iggy and to pick up some of the scoring with Klay trying to fully recover.

Just for me as a fan of the Raps, we don't have anything remotely near a Steph or Klay lol we gotta roll the dice a bit more and try to find someone with a higher ceiling and for me Bouknight and Mann are those two that if they hit their potentials they can be star scoring wings.

Of the 2, Bouknight is the safer pick. He's a solid defender with a huge array of moves and skills. I've read Clarkson comparisons but that to me is a very low end considering Bouknight is a better defender AND he resembles JC as a 7th player NOW as just a 2nd year college player. Clarkson wasn't even close to where Bouknight was coming into the league and I don't know why anyone would assume JB would stop developing. Not to mention he has a better wingspan and arguably more athletic. Our developmental staff has been excellent with improving shooting mechanics so if he adds that to his arsenal, I don't see what stops him from being a similar type of player to Booker.

With Mann, I'm taking height of his potential but he reminds me of McCollum with even crazier range, like someone gave CJ some of Dame's range....yeah that COULD be a massive steal. I'm aware that's a lofty goal but it is what it is. The kid is shooting Dame like percentages, he's not a chucker and he's shifty as hell...think of the combination of a player that can pull up several feet behind the line that can also shake you outta your shoes...that could be DEADLY. I don't know many players in the league with that kinda range that aren't stars in the league so for me personally I want us to roll the dice on Mann but that's just me. I think our franchise's are on different timeliness with much different needs. You guys are likely looking at more win now players to help get Steph and Klay back to a Finals, my Raps need to find the star power to even dream of getting back their someday lol its gonna be a helluva fun draft to see where everyone lands though.

[GSWFan1994]

For me I rank Bouknight (for sure) and Mann over him just because I like their potential more than his.

Again not to say I don't think he'll be a very solid pick and player. I think he has a high floor that at minimum will be one of the better 3+D players in the league. I haven't seen the strength and physicality Kawhi had/has who was a monstrous rebounder and a ton of his game is in and around the post and mid range but again see moreso of a Middleton type of ceiling which is great and no team will complain outside of the top 5 ending up with a player like that. IMO he might be the perfect pick for the Warriors because he can play kind of hybrid role of making up for what you guys lost with Iggy and to pick up some of the scoring with Klay trying to fully recover.

Just for me as a fan of the Raps, we don't have anything remotely near a Steph or Klay lol we gotta roll the dice a bit more and try to find someone with a higher ceiling and for me Bouknight and Mann are those two that if they hit their potentials they can be star scoring wings.

Of the 2, Bouknight is the safer pick. He's a solid defender with a huge array of moves and skills. I've read Clarkson comparisons but that to me is a very low end considering Bouknight is a better defender AND he resembles JC as a 7th player NOW as just a 2nd year college player. Clarkson wasn't even close to where Bouknight was coming into the league and I don't know why anyone would assume JB would stop developing. Not to mention he has a better wingspan and arguably more athletic. Our developmental staff has been excellent with improving shooting mechanics so if he adds that to his arsenal, I don't see what stops him from being a similar type of player to Booker.

With Mann, I'm taking height of his potential but he reminds me of McCollum with even crazier range, like someone gave CJ some of Dame's range....yeah that COULD be a massive steal. I'm aware that's a lofty goal but it is what it is. The kid is shooting Dame like percentages, he's not a chucker and he's shifty as hell...think of the combination of a player that can pull up several feet behind the line that can also shake you outta your shoes...that could be DEADLY. I don't know many players in the league with that kinda range that aren't stars in the league so for me personally I want us to roll the dice on Mann but that's just me. I think our franchise's are on different timeliness with much different needs. You guys are likely looking at more win now players to help get Steph and Klay back to a Finals, my Raps need to find the star power to even dream of getting back their someday lol its gonna be a helluva fun draft to see where everyone lands though.

I appreciate you taking the time to write a thoughtful response.

Yeah, I definitely agree on Bouknight. I think he's somewhat underrated at the moment. He's in the 9/12 range for me, I guess.

I have to take a better look at Mann (as for Moody as well).

Let me ask you another question: how do you evaluate Moody's passing, ballhandling and playmaking?

[Charm]

Not to sidetrack things, but...is Bouknight actually a good defender, or did he just benefit from having Whaley (and other good defenders) behind him? I think Moody's potentially a much better player on that end of the court.

[nolang1]

There are like 10-15 guys a draft who stick around as starter-level players, and between his age, productivity, and obvious role player skillset he’s one of the better bets outside the top 5 to do that. He’s kind of the Okongwu of this draft where the people who read more into the all-in-one stats will think he has as much star upside as the players at the top of the draft, but he had his biggest games against really bad out of conference competition.

[toussaud]

i'm an arkansas fan, i have seen every last game he has ever played in and i would not draft him to be perfectly honest. he has NO handle. he is a liability with the ball in his hands, these are things that can be fixed but he's not there. he's not close to there. he's a good defensive player and a plus shooter.

[Stillwater]

i'm an arkansas fan, i have seen every last game he has ever played in and i would not draft him to be perfectly honest. he has NO handle. he is a liability with the ball in his hands, these are things that can be fixed but he's not there. he's not close to there. he's a good defensive player and a plus shooter.

right hes an off ball player as is which is fine but the handles could steamroll any optimism that normally is associated with big athletic wings that can shoot some but not when pressured.

[Charm]

He gets talked about like he's a finished product, just a more defensive-minded version of Kispert, but I really don't think that's fair. He's among the youngest players in the draft, and he's as likely as anyone to take a big leap forward sometime in the next couple years. Honestly seems like a really nice combination of safe floor and interesting ceiling if you're drafting in the late lottery.

[SNPA]

He gets talked about like he's a finished product, just a more defensive-minded version of Kispert, but I really don't think that's fair. He's among the youngest players in the draft, and he's as likely as anyone to take a big leap forward sometime in the next couple years. Honestly seems like a really nice combination of safe floor and interesting ceiling if you're drafting in the late lottery.

I think this is it largely.