If there's one player on the Golden State Warriors roster that shares a similar, yet less developed playstyle to Moses Moody, it's rookie Will Richard as a prototypical 3-and-D type capable of playing at the two or the three.
It's Richard, therefore, who is now presented with a major opportunity after Moody's devastating torn patellar tendon injury suffered on Monday night against the Dallas Mavericks -- an injury that's expected to sideline the fifth-year wing for 9-12 months.
Will Richard gifted major opportunity after Moses Moody injury
Richard has already been a revelation for the Warriors this season, averaging over 20 minutes per game and earning 19 starts under head coach Steve Kerr. Yet the 23-year-old is now set for an even bigger opportunity as the obvious member of the current Golden State roster who could eat up the lost Moody minutes.
Richard may be a couple inches shorter than Moody in height, but he has a similarly long wingspan that allows him to be disruptive as an on-ball defender, just as his teammate showed in stripping Cooper Flagg in that fateful sequence in the final minute of Monday's game.
The big swing factor for Richard is going to be the 3-point shooting. He's a capable threat from beyond the arc, having shot 39.8% from deep in one of his collegiate seasons. He's also flashed that at times this season, including on Monday against the Mavericks where he was a perfect 4-of-4 from 3-point range in his 12 minutes off the bench.
You'd argue Richard should have played more given that hot shooting, but his limited minutes were a direct result of Moody's return to the lineup after a 10-game absence. Richard had played at least 25 minutes in each of the previous seven games, including at least 29 minutes in five of those.
Will Richard needs to narrow gap between himself and Moses Moody as shooters
While he was a sniper against the Mavericks, Richard has otherwise been an inconsistent shooter during his rookie campaign. He's now at 34.2% on the season, the kind of mark that provides enough optimism, but which still very much needs to be improved upon.
Can Richard become 90% of the player Moody was before his injury? The fate of that will be dictated largely by whether he can draw closer to the 40% Moody shot from 3-point range this season, and whether he can get anywhere close to the over six attempts per game.