Draymond Green‘s game-sealing left-handed layup over Karl-Anthony Towns and subsequent “night night” celebration was the biggest moment in the Golden State Warriors‘ gritty 97-94 win over the New York Knicks on Saturday, March 15.
But to Golden State coach Steve Kerr, it wasn’t the game’s biggest shot. It belonged to Moses Moody, who snuck in a layup over Mikal Bridges with 2:26 left that broke an 88-88 deadlock.
“That layup was the shot of the game when he snuck around the defense,” Kerr told reporters after their seventh straight win.
Moody finished with 18 points, his fifth straight double-digit scoring game. But more than his offense coming around, it’s his play on the other side of the ball that made him a staple in Kerr’s starting lineup since Jimmy Butler‘s arrival at the trade deadline.
Warriors’ 18-1 Record When Moses Moody Starts
Moody has started in a career-high 19 games this season, which is more than his combined starts (12) in the previous two seasons. The Warriors are 18-1 when Moody starts with their only loss came when Butler was out in a March 1 loss in Philadelphia.
“He does whatever you ask him to do and never asks any questions about it,” Butler said of Moody. “I’m glad that that stat is giving him the shine that he deserves and I know he’s going to be huge for this organization and I know he’s going to make his mark in this league.”
Kerr couldn’t agree more.
Moody’s much-improved two-way play combined with his great character has made Kerr trust the fourth-year forward more so much so that he predicted a long career ahead of him.
“It’s his defense — he’s really taken on the role of guarding the opponent’s best player or point guard ball handler,” Kerr said of Moody. “He’s done it night after night. He’s embraced it.
“[Moody] plays the right way,” Butler said of Moody. “He’s very smart. He can shoot the ball, put the ball on the floor and he guards at an elite level.”
Over his last four games, Moody averaged 2.0 steals.
Hard Work Pays Off
The Warriors struck gold in Moody after locking him up to a three-year, $39 million contract extension in the offseason which now looks like one of the best-value deals around the league.
“I think one of the reasons we felt so strongly about locking up Moses this past fall was just the character piece — how hard he plays,” Kerr told reporters. “What a great human being he is and then you look at the length and the shooting ability, I mean he’s clearly a guy who can have a long career in this league but I just admire him so much because of his fortitude, and his resilience over the years.
“It’s not easy being a young player coming to a great team and trying to find your way and he just he’s a metronome. He’s like a young [Kevon Looney] who just puts in the work every day. A total pro.”
Moody has come a long way from averaging only 11.7 minutes during his rookie year to being in and out of the rotation the past two seasons to earning a starting spot, averaging 30.5 minutes in March.
“I would tell my rookie self that you’re right,” Moody told reporters when asked to reflect on his NBA journey full of ups and downs. “Keep doing what you’re doing, keep working. Keep getting better taking the criticism, figuring out ways to get on the court because eventually you’ll be there and all the stuff that you’re doing and working on is going to pay off.”
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