Moses Moody, one of the Warriors’ first-round selections in last year’s draft, didn’t exactly light up the NBA in his rookie season. Nor has he been relied upon much in the playoffs – until the last two games of the Western Conference finals against the Dallas Mavericks.
After Damion Lee struggled early in Game 2 off the bench, Moody earned 10 minutes of playing time in the fourth quarter and did well, helping the Warriors close out the Mavericks in a tight finish. He then saw 16 minutes of action in the Warriors’ Game 3 win.
He didn't score much, with six total points to his name in the series, but his play didn't go unnoticed.
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On Monday, Moody received some high praise from Steph Curry, who has seen the rookie work hard off the court despite having no guarantees of playing time.
“He’s just an extremely talented, high IQ young guy that works tirelessly to be ready,” Curry said to reporters.
Curry then added that he wished there could be a documentary on Moody’s practice routine.
“The behind-the-scenes, how he works, going game speed, just consistent effort every day, not knowing if he’s going to play the next day,” Curry said. “Going back and forth from the G League, all that stuff. You can tell someday it’s going to pay off because his number is going to be called.”
Golden State Warriors
Moody appeared in 52 games and started 11 of them during the regular season, also spending time with the G League Santa Cruz Warriors. He averaged 4.4 points, 1.5 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game, shooting 36.4 percent from beyond the arc.
But the Warriors didn’t need him to play heavy minutes and contribute right away as a rookie. That can be tough on a first round pick who was used to being a key contributor in college at Arkansas last year.
However, according to Curry, Moody had the right attitude in practice. That helped him when his number was called upon during the Western Conference finals.
And Moody didn’t just suddenly become poised as a rookie in the playoffs. It was, as Curry said, a build-up of hard work and preparation, staying ready and growing on the fly as a 19-year-old.
“You get to a situation where he’s thrown into a Western Conference finals game,” Curry said. “Makes a big difference, plays extremely well. Seems very composed, the speed of the game didn’t overwhelm him. All that stuff matters. It didn’t just happen last week or yesterday. It was from day one when he showed up this summer. So it’s pretty special to see it all pay off for a young guy that works his butt off.”
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Along with fellow rookie Jonathan Kuminga and James Wiseman, Moody represents part of the future for the Warriors, with the luxury of getting to learn from the likes of Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green while actually getting a chance to contribute to a team on the verge of making the NBA Finals.
The NBA is probably moving at 100 miles per hour for Moody right now. But it must be nice to know that Curry, of all people, has been watching him grow and likes what he sees.