Let’s hope so.
One takeaway from the Golden State Warriors thrilling buzzer-beater win in their preseason opener on Saturday was that fourth-year wing Moses Moody was, once again, relegated to a small role. While he surely anticipated a bigger role with Klay Thompson’s departure, Moody was not in the starting lineup for the win over the LA Clippers, with Steve Kerr opting to start De’Anthony Melton and Jonathan Kuminga at the two wing positions.
And when the Warriors line-changed halfway through the first quarter? Again Moody was absent, ceding spots to Brandin Podziemski, Gary Payton II, and Buddy Hield. He was the 11th man, which is even more damning when you remember that Andrew Wiggins didn’t play.
It wasn’t all bad, of course. Moody may have been the last of the rotation regulars to get on the court, but he was one of Golden State’s best players in the game, finishing with 12 points on 4-for-9 shooting, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block, and a team-best +14. And he even made his way into the starting lineup for the second half, when Kerr removed Melton, Steph Curry, and Draymond Green.
Moody has clearly been impressing ahead of his final season before restricted free agency (barring an unlikely extension reached in the next two weeks). In addition to his strong preseason debut, things have been strong behind the scenes. The Athletic’s Anthony Slater wrote after Saturday’s game that, “The buzz out of training camp was how well Moody had been playing — and scoring — all week in Hawaii.”
But it’s hard to see where Moody’s minutes will come from, barring a trade. Injuries will surely facilitate some opportunities, but the Dubs are unlikely to promote him over prized offseason acquisitions Hield and Melton. And they clearly value what Podziemski has to offer, as well as his development.
Still, it’s hard to see him playing as small of a role in tonight’s game against the Sacramento Kings, after he so mightily impressed in the opening preseason game. It’s a dilemma for Kerr, and one that does present any clear solutions.