Golden State Warriors wing Moses Moody has made unavoidable progress during the 2025-26 season. He's become more assertive as an isolation scorer, more confident as a shooter, and generally more productive in his role.
Unfortunately, Moody has begun to display signs of the negative habits that could derail the progress he's made by fading into the background when the stars are playing well—and only the veterans can help him escape the vicious cycle.
Moody has turned November into something of a coming-out party as a rising force. The 23-year-old has averaged 14.1 points and 3.1 three-point field goals made per game on .459/.443/.833 shooting, with peaks that have many fascinated by his untapped potential.
Moody has recorded 32, 28, 24, and 19-point games during the month of November, each time proving that he has the skill level to regularly contribute big numbers.
Unfortunately, Moody has begun to show signs of hesitation when the veterans are on their game and he isn't necessarily on fire. Examples include following his 32-point eruption by attempting six shots in a loss and his 19-point performance with eight field goal attempts.
It's not yet a full-on trend of going from peaks to valleys, but the early signs of regression can be most easily resolved by the veterans helping Moody remain involved on offense.
Moses Moody showing signs of trepidation Warriors veterans can fix
The most important element of any young player's development is striking the proper level of confidence in their game. It may not always be a matter of asserting oneself on offense, but instead being realistic about what their contributions should be from game to game.
As Moody shows signs of being capable of consistently providing high-level scoring contributions, however, he must learn to draw a healthier line between passive and aggressive.
During the Warriors' most recent two games, he scored 32 points on 10-of-16 shooting as Stephen Curry shot 2-of-11 and Draymond Green went 3-of-13. The next time out, Moody had six points on a 2-of-6 mark from the field as Curry and Jimmy Butler combined for 67 points on 22-of-39 shooting.
That sounds like a logical approach given Curry and Butler's success, let alone the fact that Green was 5-of-8, but the Warriors lost a 121-113 shootout to the short-handed Orlando Magic.
On a night when the defense was allowing points to be scored at an alarming rate, Moody needed to have the confidence to contribute more. He scored 32 points the previous time out, yet took a backseat just one game later despite his team needing more offense.
It's the type of issue Butler, Curry, and Green can help resolve by simply getting him more involved on the offensive end of the floor.
Verbally encouraging him to shoot through perceived cold spells is an easy first step toward empowering Moody to trust his judgment more than he has. Moreover, the veteran trio act as the Warriors' primary playmakers, thus giving them the power to create opportunities for the up-and-comer.
If the Warriors are hoping to save Moody from falling victim to the negative habits that have derailed his progress in the past, then Butler, Curry, and Green must take the lead in doing so.