With Stephen Curry suffering a hamstring strain in Game 1 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Golden State Warriors will need all hands on deck if they want to have any chance of advancing to the Western Conference Finals.
But unfortunately for the Warriors, young wing Moses Moody is becoming more and more unplayable as the playoffs progress, having seemingly lost all confidence despite such a strong second-half of the regular season.
Moses Moody struggled in Game 1 against the Timberwolves on Tuesday
Moody made 31 consecutive straight starts from February 13 to Game 2 of the first-round series against the Houston Rockets, yet was controversially benched in Game 3 despite Golden State having gone 23-8 during that span.
It's proven the right decision given the form of Buddy Hield, with the veteran sharpshooter having drilled 14 threes and going for 57 combined points over the last two games. It's a different story for Moody though who, despite remaining in the rotation, has found himself in an elongated stretch of underwhelming form.
After shooting just 30% from 3-point range in the final 15 games of the regular season, Moody is still shooting only 36.4% from the floor overall so far in the playoffs. Aside from a 25-point, nine-rebound display in Game 5 against the Rockets, it's largely been a struggle for the fourth-year wing who's confidence appears to be wavering as a result.
Moody played nearly six first-half minutes in Game 1 on Tuesday night, but it was a hard watch for fans as the 22-year-old missed all four of his field-goal attempts and was a -7 despite Golden State leading by 13 at half-time.
Those numbers may have looked worse given Moody was perhaps unfairly stuck with the ball at the end of couple of lifeless possessions. However, the sight of him dribbling out the shot-clock while guarded by Anthony Edwards wasn't a good one, and perhaps gave the strongest indication of where he's at right now.
Moody saw an even shorter leash in the second-half, playing less than three minutes where the Warriors were again outscored by seven. The former 14th overall pick played just eight and a half minutes -- the least he's played in a game since December.
Given his role has fluctuated significantly across his first four years in the league, Moody is no stranger to having to fight through obstacles. That resilience will again have to come through for him to have an impact in this series, with the Warriors needing something from Moody in order to battle past the Timberwolves and advance to the Conference Finals.