Warriors may have fallen into a surprising role for under-utilized wing

The Golden State Warriors injury report isn’t clearing up any time soon. Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski have been out for weeks, and Draymond Green has played three total minutes since January 10th.

Yet some Warriors role players have been having trouble getting onto the floor. One player who has had a consistently inconsistent role on the Dubs is Moses Moody. However, as Green now deals with a calf injury that's likely to see him sidelined for a period, Steve Kerr has implied that fans may see some solid Moody playing time in the veteran forward's absence.

The Warriors may have fallen into a suprise role for Moses Moody

In Moody’s few years with the team, he has often been buried at the end of the rotation, occasionally thrown in to start games, and been a mainstay in Warriors trade rumors. Moody’s career has been a constant loop of flashes of potential, solid play, unexplained benchings, and stepping up when the Warriors depth chart is depleted. 

Many fans have been calling for more Moody playing time. He is another homegrown fan favorite (ala Kevon Looney) that regardless of statistics, will have the support of Dub Nation. When he sees the floor he brings an energy that the Warriors desperately need. In limited minutes this season, Moody is averaging 8.0 points and 1.8 rebounds, shooting a career-high nearly 40% from three. 

Because he has never gotten consistent playing time, Moody has never gotten the opportunity to fully blossom. The Warriors showed their commitment to him during the summer with a contract extension, but until the 22-year-old can carve out a steady role on the team, we will never know his full potential. 

Head coach Steve Kerr spoke about who could replace Green following Saturday's win over the Washington Wizards, stating that "if Draymond's out for a little bit, then it's a good chance for Moses (Moody) to get a lot of minutes at that four spot."

Kerr went on to say that Moody’s strength and floor stretching make him thrive in the power forward position. Moody played well taking on some of Draymond’s minutes against the Wizards, recording 13 points on 2-of-5 from three while also adding a steal and a block in 29 minutes off the bench.

Although it may be hard to find many Warriors fans who aren’t in support of more Moody minutes, playing him at the power forward position is a risk. The Warriors are the smallest team in the NBA, and putting Moody (who is built more like a guard or small forward) at the power forward position further exposes the Warriors' height and strength weakness. 

If this is going to work, Moody, and the rest of the lineup, will really need to get on the glass. Moody is averaging 3.9 rebounds per 36 minutes this season, which is easily a career low. Given Green averages six per game, Moody will have to get his rebounding numbers up and hold his own on defense if this experiment is going to prove effective.