Moses Moody’s first year with the Golden State Warriors has arguably been one of the more challenging rookie campaigns league-wide, particularly for a lottery pick.
On one night, he’s dropping a 20-spot during an amazing comeback win over the Spurs, on another — or, rather, several others in a row — he’s riding the pine, watching other people play basketball. Or maybe he’s in the G League, making us all wonder when he’ll finally get a real shot.
Through the ups and downs, though, Moody has persevered, making the most of the opportunities he does get while grinding behind the scenes to bring more of them his way.
However, as Warriors coach Steve Kerr tells it, the 19-year-old may just be better-equipped than some of his counterparts to deal with the long and winding road.
Moody Actually Taught Kerr Something in Camp
During a Wednesday appearance on KNBR’s Tolbert, Krueger & Brooks, Kerr commented on Moody’s big night in San Antonio, as well as his progress on the year. While the recent success has been fun, the coach revealed that the wing has been impressing him since the beginning.
“It’s not just the last couple weeks… It’s been the entire season, really from the first day of training camp,” Kerr said.
He went on to relay a story about how Moody managed to dole out a life lesson to Kerr, who is 37 years his senior:
I had a really good chat with him after a couple of days of camp where I was kind of explaining how the season was going to work. Moses is a pretty quiet guy, and I kind of went on and on about how ‘you just got to work,’ and ‘your time will come,’ blah, blah, blah. I realized I was doing all the talking and finally I said, ‘What do you think?’ He kind of looked at me and he said, ‘Well, clear seas don’t make a worthy sailor’ and I was like, ‘That’s awesome!’ What a great saying.
Added Kerr, “My 19-year-old rookie is teaching me these great phrases. I said, ‘Where did you get that?’ and he said, ‘My dad taught me that.’ That is so awesome, and it’s true, you got to go through some adversity to get better and he understands that.”
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‘He’s Ready’
“Right from the beginning, Moses has just put in the work,” Kerr added, referencing the rookie’s habits behind the scenes. As the old coach sees it, those habits are what have enabled Moody to navigate the treacherous waters he had been bracing himself for.
“He struggled with his shot early in the season, but the game was just moving a little fast. With all the work he’s put in and all the games he’s played in Santa Cruz. Just with his daily approach and his basketball IQ, he’s ready.”
Finally, Kerr endorsed his guy as the rare prospect who can be impactful right now, let alone in the future.
“He’s now ready to contribute on any night we put him in, and it’s really exciting because the way he shoots it with his size and his defensive mentality, he can make a real impact for us every night.”
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Warriors Rookie Floors Steve Kerr With Valuable Life Lesson