SAN FRANCISCO — Moses Moody attributed the quote to his former teammate, Ty Jerome, but the adage is apocryphal
Play the hand you’re dealt as if it’s the hand you always wanted.
In other words: embrace It doesn’t matter who said it first, the message resonates with Moody.
For the first three seasons of Moody’s career, he has been the victim of the numbers game that is NBA rosters. The 14th overall pick in 2021 joined a championship contender as a redshirt rookie, then fell into rotational purgatory on veteran-laden teams for two years. He has shown flashes as a 3-and-D wing, including in the postseason, but has never gotten consistent chances.
Last season, Moody averaged a career-high 17.5 minutes per game, but also played in five minutes or less 20 times — including 15 DNPs.
That’s the hand he’s been dealt. And he’s never complained.
“I didn’t play as much as I wanted to last year,” Moody, 22, said. “So I obviously wasn’t in the place where I wanted to be. So in the summer, I put a lot of work into the small things, the details…Training camp is the first opportunity to really showcase that work. So that’s just mentality, I’m not even necessarily looking for gratification this early on, we’ll see how it goes. But I did the work, so it’ll show.”
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr rewarded Moody for his offseason work and training camp performance by starting him in Friday night’s preseason game against Sacramento. With the opportunity, Moody scored a game-high 23 points on 7-for-13 shooting in 25 minutes.
Kerr called Moody a “rotation player” after the game. But Kerr has praised Moody many times before, including last year when he locked up Jalen Brunson in a late February game only to fall out of the rotation two weeks later.
At various points last season, Moody got leapfrogged for minutes by Lester Quinones — a converted two-way player — and Dario Saric, a fledgling veteran. He was seemingly always the odd-man out.
Moody didn’t complain then, and hasn’t ever. It’s part of what the coaching staff loves about him. Maturity has never been remotely an issue for the wing.
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“If anybody doesn’t get what they want, it’s going to mess with them to a certain level,” Moody said. “But as a grown up going to work, you’ve got to think about it like that. You’re not in pee-wee playing with your friends, getting as much playing time as you want. It’s a job. That’s what it’s about, seeing stuff for what it is, not taking stuff personal, putting your big boy pants on and going to work. If you want to change a situation, change yourself, that’s my mindset.”
True to his mentality, Moody worked to change himself. Growing up in Arkansas, he didn’t have access to the type of fitness training he does now. He trained to make his movements more efficient, helping decrease aches and pains. He sped up the release of his jump shot, something Kerr has emphasized.
The work was on display against the Kings. He got an and-1 by cutting to the basket. He drove a weak close-out to finish with his left hand at the rim. He nailed catch-and-shoot 3s and worked the two-man game with Kevon Looney for a midrange jumper. His game, with more touches and chances, is expanding.
The question will be if he gets those opportunities this year.
After the Warriors got bounced in the play-in by Sacramento, Kerr said, “I would love to get him out there more.”
“He’s in his third year, he hasn’t played a ton, so you need reps to improve on this stuff,” Kerr added. “Yeah, I think next year’s a big year for Moses.”
But then, the Warriors went out and signed Buddy Hield, Kyle Anderson and De’Anthony Melton — each of whom will likely slide ahead of Moody in the pecking order.
If everyone’s healthy, the Warriors very well may have dealt Moody an off-suit two and seven. Moody will stay ready regardless.
“I will say it again, he’s one of the most high-character young players I’ve ever been around,” Kerr said last spring. “The way he handles adversity, he’s just very practical, he’s been raised so well. He’s a wonderful young guy and I’m always pulling for him and I want him to succeed.”
Sometimes, though, nice guys finish last. In the NBA, players pull strings all the time to get what they want. They use the media as leverage or demand trades when things go south.
Kerr knows Moody isn’t going to complain. Moody’s teammates know it, the public knows it. But could his professionalism hurt his case in a backwards way?
“Yeah, it does. For sure,” Moody said. “I’ve even been told that. But, if I change my ways because of something else, then now I’m out here doing some goofy stuff and I’m getting away from my principles. If you move off your principles — I’m not doing it for nobody else. I’m not being professional for (anybody) else. I’m being professional because that’s the best way for me, mentally, to come into work every day, to approach life. So I can’t change that. If you do it to get something out of it, then that’s how these dudes get lost…I’ve got to play it out. Got to be who I am and play it out that way.”