Moses Moody’s absence has come at the worst possible time for him and the Warriors.
This season has been a nightmare for Moses Moody and the Golden State Warriors. Moody will miss the rest of his team’s four-game road trip, according to Steve Kerr, who told reporters before Friday’s game against the Chicago Bulls.
“Huge loss,” Kerr said of Moody’s departure. “He’s been playing really well since he returned to the rotation, and obviously with the injuries we’ve had, it’s a big loss.” Hopefully, it won’t be too long and he’ll be able to return soon after the trip because we need him.”
Moody was later diagnosed with a Grade 1 (mild) strain in his left calf and will be examined in 10 days.
Moody was injured in the fourth quarter of Golden State’s dreadful loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday, the Dubs’ second consecutive blowout defeat in front of boos from the Chase Center crowd. Fans, on the other hand, were not venting their rage at Moody. The third-year wing scored 21 points before fouling out against the Pelicans, matching his season best from a few days earlier when the Warriors were “punched in the mouth” by the Toronto Raptors.
Moody’s injury means that Golden State, now 17-20, will not establish any more clarity and continuity in terms of possible lineup and player configurations before the February 8th trade deadline. Kerr has been attempting to replicate such consistency since 2023-24 was announced.
Draymond Green’s impending return from indefinite suspension was supposed to be a critical step toward the Warriors locating it, but Chris Paul and Gary Payton II’s injuries basically made that impossible. Moody’s multi-week recovery timeframe complicates matters even further, especially after he played some of his greatest basketball of his career while having more playing time and a longer leash with Paul out.
While Moody is out, expect more minutes for Andrew Wiggins, Brandin Podziemski, and Cory Joseph. His condition, however, looms huge in terms of how it may affect Golden State’s stance at the trade deadline. Have the Warriors seen enough of Moody this season to keep him around after February 8th? Might teams with a burgeoning prior interest in him be put off by Moody’s upward trajectory being halted?
Golden State faced enough questions in the coming weeks without Moody’s departure. Kerr, Mike Dunleavy Jr., and the rest of the team’s decision-makers face even more difficult questions about the team’s immediate and long-term future now that he’s out for a lengthy period of time.
