Moses Moody still forced to 'just deal' with limited Warriors playing time

Moses Moody still can't get regular minutes on the Golden State Warriors despite being in his fourth NBA season and despite signing a three-year, $39 million rookie contract extension. The 22-year-old still finds himself at the back end of head coach Steve Kerr's rotation, often completely out of it throughout his time in the Bay Area.

Monday's 128-120 loss to the Brooklyn Nets illustrated the challenging situation that persists for the 2021 lottery pick.

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Moody came off the bench and scored 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting in nine second-quarter minutes to help the Warriors take a 67-58 lead into halftime. The scoring outburst didn't earn him a windfall of second-half playing time. He only got seven more minutes as Golden State blew a double-digit lead to lose for the second straight game.

Asked about the importance of consistent minutes to maintain rhythm, Moody gave an honest response that sums up his ongoing uncertain status.

"That's not a luxury I've had through my career, so I've kind of had to figure out how to play whatever happens, whenever the opportunity is," Moody said. "I kind of just deal with whatever it is.

"So, I don't necessarily look for outside things as in playing time, rotation or whatever it is. When I get the opportunity, I take the shots that I get. I take the driving lanes that I get."

While the franchise renewed its commitment with a rookie extension, the deal hasn't changed Moody's standing with Kerr.

A reloaded roster after the departures of Klay Thompson and Chris Paul has kept Moody at the back end of the rotation. And while a season-ending injury to free-agent signee De'Anthony Melton opened up a spot in the starting lineup, the vacancy has been filled by Lindy Waters III, a journeyman guard acquired from the Oklahoma City Thunder who has impressed Kerr with his 3-point shooting and defensive effort — qualities that Moody possesses.

Back-to-back collapses against the San Antonio Spurs and Nets have placed new scrutiny on the 12-man rotation Kerr employs. Any alterations to it figure to cut into Moody's already limited minutes.

Kerr praised Moody on the day his rookie deal was extended — "He's everything we want in our program," Kerr told reporters then — but the coach's actions still don't reflect confidence in the player. And it's becoming even more difficult understanding what exactly Moses Moody has to do to warrant more playing time.

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