Moses Moody came into Warriors training camp feeling something he hadn’t felt the last time he stepped on an NBA floor: healthy.
After a rough playoff stretch last season in which he shot 35% from the field and 33% from three, questions began to rise about the 23-year-old.
Where was Moses when the Warriors needed him the most? Did he lose confidence in his shot?
What the world didn’t know was that he had silently played through a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right thumb. Moody suffered the injury in late March but delayed getting surgery until the offseason.
So when Warriors fans tuned in at the start of the 2025 preseason, Moody’s performance was a welcome sight. He was ready to put the doubters to rest.
Strong Start
Moody’s surgery not only rectified his torn UCL, but it also improved his shot. The rehab process forced him to be more meticulous about where he placed his thumb on the ball. The extra caution allowed him to pay more attention to his shooting form and focus more on his shot.
The surgery specifically appears to have quickened his release, as he was seen several times throughout the night stepping into his shot faster and more fluidly. This improved release allows him to take on a more dangerous role as a catch-and-shoot threat for the Warriors. His 3-and-D skillset also makes him more versatile in a variety of lineups that can be thrown on the court.
Although he picked up three quick fouls in the first few minutes of the first preseason game, his five threes in fifteen minutes were huge in securing the win. Stephen Curry, along with Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green, played limited minutes in the first half and zero in the second half.
On nights when the team’s stars don’t play, Moody’s contributions will be even more necessary.
Staying Ready
Throughout his four-year NBA tenure, Moses Moody has been on the receiving end of several demotions in his playing time. Steve Kerr and the Warriors love him because of his stay-ready attitude. Even when a case could have been made for a minutes boost, he continued to put in the work to continue earning the respect of the coaching staff.
His professional mentality is why he means so much to the organization, and why he has the respect of Curry, Butler, and Green.
Moody, a precocious player and member of the NBPA Foundation’s Board of Directors, has grown closer with the vets on the team off the court.
Earning Respect
Curry has praised Moody for the way he carries himself despite inconsistent minutes, referring to him during his rookie year as “a high-IQ young guy that works tirelessly to be ready.”
The two-time MVP even expressed his desire for a Moses Moody documentary, just so the world could see his consistent dedication and intense work ethic.
When the former Arkansas Razorback hosted a basketball camp in Little Rock over the summer, a key Warrior joined him. Draymond Green came to support, and the two even co-hosted a fireside chat with the youth discussing their basketball journeys.
“That’s my guy. If I can be there to show support for him, I always will,” Green said.
Green isn’t the only one who has taken a liking to Moody. After Jimmy Butler’s late-season acquisition, Moody wasted no time soaking up any knowledge he could from him — basketball or life.
In an interview with Forbes discussing his business ventures, Butler revealed he put Moses onto one of his favorite books about life shortly after he joined the team. According to Butler, the book, The Monk who Sold his Ferrari, taught him the importance of keeping everything in perspective.
He didn’t hesitate to share that message, along with other teachings in the book, with Moody, despite having been teammates for less than two months.
Preparation Meets Opportunity
Moody has had to scratch and claw to touch the hardwood for the last four years. He looks primed to take on a bigger role and could potentially remain a starter to begin the regular season. In the first preseason game, Kerr went with his usual small-ball lineup — Curry, Green, Moody, Butler, and Brandin Podziemski — to start. This is the same lineup that went 16-3 last season when starting together.
In the second game, Kerr swapped out Podziemski for newcomer Al Horford. In the third game, none of Moody, Butler, Curry or Horford played.
De’Anthony Melton’s arrival could alter the lineups depending on what Kerr believes is most effective. Regardless of what lineup starts opening night, Moody has shown he is deserving of a bigger role.
He has been preparing his whole career for this opportunity. And now, it may finally be his time.
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