Golden State ‘optimistic’ about Moses Moody’s debut against the Blazers

Moses MoodyHis return could not have come at a better time.

The Golden State Warriors they hope so the five-year-old wing will make his season debut on the road against the Portland Trail Blazers, the back end of an early season back-to-back. Moody missed the first two games season due to a minor strain on his left leg in training camp, but has a chance to return to the lineup in Portland. The Warriors never expressed too much concern about Moody’s calf strain, but they opted for caution given how tricky the injury could become.

Before the game, before Golden State’s overtime win over the Denver Nuggetshead coach Steve Kerr shared his optimism for Moody’s return.

“We hope he plays tomorrow,” Kerr said at the time. “Yesterday he struggled. We didn’t have a practice but some of the guys came in with a little minute (to struggle). I spoke to Moses today and he said he’s feeling good. So hopefully he’ll play tomorrow night and that’s the plan.”

Golden State will be a little deprived like they are they won’t have Al Horford due to workload management. Horford won’t play both games in any back-to-back games this season, and he already did it in 26 minutes against Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets. The plan is still to play Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green, but each of them played more than 34 minutes. So, Moody’s return to the lineup comes at an opportune time. Golden State returns some youth and athleticism that should provide relief for the veterans on both ends and allow Steve Kerr to spread the minutes to lighten the load.

How Moody fits into the Warriors lineup

Before the calf strain, Moody was projected to start for Golden State and serve as their de facto point guard. After the Jimmy Butler trade last season, Moody ascended to the starting lineup alongside Curry, Green, Brandin Podziemski and the newly acquired star, a combination that became Golden State’s most potent in their 23-8 sprint to the playoffs.

In 211 minutes, that 5-man combination had a 120.6 offensive rating, 104.2 defensive rating and 16.4 net rating, not to mention a 2.45 assist-to-turnover ratio. Moody guarded the players of the opposing team in that line-up. And at the other end he spread the floor as a threat of shooting and cutting. Moody’s wheels fell off a bit in the postseason as his shooting numbers dipped. But much of the decline came from a UCL injury in his right thumb that he had been playing through. Moody underwent thumb surgery in the offseason and described how the rehab process has helped him get better with his off-hand.

Moody should be able to return to the same form once he returns from his calf strain. His shooting looked as good as ever in training camp before suffering a calf strain. His 3-and-D versatility gives Kerr another tool to use depending on the matchup. The head coach emphasized that the team has a lot to figure out on the rotation, as they have yet to do so. But with Moody doing the two things Kerr wants in his system, defense and spacing, his reintegration shouldn’t be too difficult.