Moses Moody, the 14^th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, was one of two lottery picks for the Golden State Warriors that year. Compared to fellow draftee Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody was expected to be a more NBA-ready prospect. 

In his lone year at Arkansas, Moody showcased a well-rounded offensive arsenal with a developed basketball IQ. In 32 games, Moody averaged 16.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists on 47.8 percent from the field and 35.8 percent from three. His solid efficiency and polish for such a young player intrigued Golden State, who was in need of more guard and wing depth in 2021. 

Physical Profile

Moody also has great length and size for his position. Primarily a shooting guard, Moody is 6-foot-6, 211 pounds with a 7-foot-1 wingspan. His physical measurements allow him to play either forward spots offensively and defensively. Moody’s size helps him take advantage of smaller defenders on offense while helping him defend guards and forwards on defense.

However, the thing that makes Moody such a valuable player is his ability to play off the ball. This makes him a great fit in any lineup, which has slowly helped him earn Steve Kerr’s trust. He is mostly a catch-and-shoot threat who thrives as a cutter and rebounder while attacking closeouts well.

Regular Season Inconsistencies

Despite being classified as a more “NBA-ready” prospect than Kuminga, Moody’s playing time in the regular season has been quite sporadic. When injuries occurred to Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, and Otto Porter Jr. in Moody’s rookie season, it was Kuminga who took their places. Moody would be inserted occasionally in blowout games or when Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson rested.

In those limited minutes, Moody’s 3-point shooting was relatively inconsistent, and he didn’t do much else offensively. Moody was a bit passive if he didn’t have an open shot, which made him less of a scoring threat. Defensively, Moody held his own but Kuminga’s jaw-dropping athleticism and physical measurements gave him the edge over Moody.

Moody’s sophomore season presented many of the same issues early on. He was supposed to have a bigger role during the 2023 season, but Moody’s early season struggles on both ends forced him out of the rotation. Moody was able to re-solidify his rotation spot later in the season, yet he posted nearly identical averages to his rookie campaign. 

In his career, Moody has played in 115 total games across two seasons while averaging 4.6 points and 1.6 rebounds. However, despite some streaky shooting at times, he has shot 45.9 percent from the field and 36.3 percent on 3-pointers. 

Playoff Performer

Although Moody hasn’t been a major factor in the regular season, he has stepped up his game in both the 2022 and 2023 playoffs. When an injury sidelined Porter Jr. for the 2022 Western Conference finals, Moody took his rotation spot instead of Kuminga. 

Moody made some big shots in his limited minutes and held his own defensively, providing a nice spark off the Warriors’ bench. Overall, he averaged 3.2 points on 53.8 percent on 3-pointers in 13 games during the 2022 playoffs.

In the 2023 playoffs, Moody was guaranteed to play after earning back his rotation spot late in the season. He stepped up his game even more, and his 3-point efficiency and rebounding took his game to another level.

Moody still received limited minutes, but he was super productive as a multi-positional swingman. Playing every game for the Warriors in the 2023 playoffs, Moody averaged 5.8 points while shooting 59.1 percent on 3-pointers. That was in a 13-game sample in which he also averaged two more rebounds per game than last year’s playoffs. 

According to StatMuse, Moody has averaged 4.4 points, 1.6 rebounds and 57.1 percent on 3-pointers during his playoff career. 

Projected Role

Moody’s strengths as a 3-point threat and rebounder made him a staple in Coach Kerr’s playoff rotation. Much of the same should be expected this upcoming season. He’ll likely receive around 15-18 minutes of playing time and play mostly at the small forward position. This is because Chris Paul and Gary Payton II have their spots set in the bench backcourt. 

With Moody’s likely larger role, he should average around 6-7 points with roughly 3 rebounds. The addition of Chris Paul may also increase his efficiency, so Moody could average around 40 percent on 3-pointers. Moody should have a breakout season as a reliable role player for the Golden State Warriors in 2024. 

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Featured photo courtesy of NBA.com.

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• Source: https://thegamehaus.com/nba/projecting-moses-moodys-role-with-the-golden-state-warriors/2023/09/13/