Getty/Ezra Shaw Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors celebrates with teammate Jordan Poole against the New Orleans Pelicans at Chase Center.
It isn’t often when rookies play prominent roles on contenders. The only constant mantra that’s happened with the Warriors this season is the absence of key veterans that could have helped stabilized the team from stretches like now. After another loss to Dallas on March 3, the team has been spiraling and has lost six of their last eight games.
However, there was a silver lining in their loss to Dallas. From the six-minute mark in the fourth quarter to around the two-minute mark, Moses Moody ran off ten straight points to keep the Warriors within striking distance.
This comes on the heels when he had to leave the Warriors previous game early. Moody suffered a Karl-Anthony Towns elbow to the eye on March 1 against Minnesota. The rookies eye was swollen shut after the game, but progressed enough to be able to play in Dallas.
After the game, numerous players and coaches took notice. Head coach Steve Kerr wasn’t too surprised from what he saw from the impressive rookie.
“We’ve seen this coming from Moses for a while now,” Steve Kerr says after the game. “He’s continuing to get better in practice. He’s played well in the G-League. Played well when we’ve given him consistent minutes. He’s a guy with good size, really smart, really tough.”
Warriors Steve Kerr Praises Moody: ‘He’s Ready’
Kerr elaborates how the team will need players with that kind of grit to play meaningful minutes in the postseason. The rotations then are more shortened, and Moody did himself wonders by throwing himself within the good graces of the coaching staff.
“Moses [Moody] is going to be a part of things going forward, Kerr admits. “He’s now at the point where he’s ready as he showed tonight. You have to have guys like that.
I’m ready to give him a lot of opportunity. Could be different from one night to the next. He’s definitely moved himself up in the rotation.”
Moody moving up in the rotation likely means he will cut into minutes from Damion Lee and Otto Porter. With the unknown surrounding Andre Iguodala’s availability, Moody could be set to be a viable option for the Warriors, especially when adjustments are needed to be made within different playoff series.
Moses Moody Talks About the ‘Biggest Thing That’s Been Beneficial’
After the game, reporters got a rare treat with a Moody appearance postgame. The Arkansas Razorback got into detail about how he’s used much of this season to learn from the veterans on the team. From Klay Thompson to Andre Iguodala, Moody talked about how he has learned to become a better professional just by watching and learning from them.
However, there’s one player that Moody gravitates more towards, and to the surprise of nobody it’s Draymond Green.
“I personally try to be around Draymond as much as possible,” Moody tells reporters after the game. “Just hanging around him and seeing how he interact and talks to other people. Just things that he does. I feel like that’s the best way for me to learn from him. Just hanging around and paying attention, rather than asking questions all the time.”
It is quite interesting, as most young players tend to ask questions and ask for advice on how to approach different things. On the contrary, Moody says how that could potentially come off annoying and instead just stays present and observes.