Getty Golden State Warriors wing Moses Moody reacts during a game against the San Antonio Spurs.
During a Wednesday appearance with 95.7 The Game‘s Damon & Ratto, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr was asked about the status of 20-year-old wing Moses Moody. Specifically, Kerr was probed on whether Moody would play a role in the team’s success as the playoff race heats up.
It was a fair question, too, as the talented Moody was DNP-CD’d against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, and he’s averaging just 11 minutes per contest over his last four appearances (despite the inordinate number of injuries the Dubs have dealt with).
At first, Kerr attempted to gloss over the situation, saying, “Yeah, of course. I mean, he played a part in our success last year and he was a rookie then.”
When pressed for a better explanation of Moody’s new reality, though, Coach Kerr made plain the reasons why the former No. 14 overall pick hasn’t been a bigger part of the proceedings recently.
Steve Kerr Addresses Moses Moody’s Inconsistent Playing Time & Role
Kerr maintained that Moody’s shrinking role had less to do with any misstep on his part and a lot more to do with the fact that other players have been stepping up in spots where the team has needed it. Particularly, the Warriors’ two-way signees.
“What you have to keep in mind is there’s only so many guys you can play and, frankly, Anthony Lamb and Ty Jerome have both played really well and played positions of need for us given the injuries. That’s why those guys have seen more minutes than Moses.”
Make no mistake — Lamb and Jerome have performed as well as or better than anyone could have hoped when they were signed before the season. The former dropped 26 on the Orlando Magic just a few, short days ago, for example, while the latter had an 18-point night on January 4 against the Detroit Pistons.
Still, the Warriors lost both games. And league rules forbid two-way players from spending more than 50 games on the active roster, a number that Lamb and Jerome will hit well before the end of the year at this rate. Two-way players are also ineligible for postseason action.
So, having them play over a guy like Moody — a lottery-level talent on a guaranteed contract — is far from ideal.
Kerr Is Still a Believer
In the past, Kerr has raved about Moody’s incredible maturity and approach to the NBA game despite his young age. And there’s obviously a lot to like about someone with shooting touch and a 7-foot-1 wingspan on a 6-foot-5, 210-pound frame.
Despite everything that the second-year wing is going through currently, Kerr made it clear that he’s still on Team Moody. He’s just thinking long-term with the baller.
“I’m a big fan of Moses, I think he’s got a bright future. What I told him was that this is year two of a 15-year journey so you can’t look at it game to game; can’t be on this emotional roller coaster. You just have to look at it big picture and I think Moses will be fine,” Kerr opined.
“It just takes time for young players to develop and this is all part of his development.”