Thompson's absence frees up minutes for Moses Moody, will it open the rotation back up for good?

A day of rest for Klay Thompson; a day to reset for Golden State

Nov 14, 2022

It’s the tail end of a back-to-back for the Golden State Warriors, and not that there’s a ton of time, but they’ve got plenty to think about. Tonight, Klay Thompson will get the night off, which means that there are plenty of minutes up for grabs. With the team already running a tight rotation, coach Steve Kerr is expected to turn to Moses Moody - and if all goes well, it may be a pattern worth repeating as Thompson continues to slowly work his way back into form.

But above all else, Golden State just wants a win tonight.

GAME DETAILS

WHO: Golden State Warriors (5-8) vs. San Antonio Spurs (6-7)

WHEN: Monday, November 14, 2022 // 7pm PDT

WATCH: NBCSBA

A closed mouth can’t get fed: Moody is ready, are the Warriors ready for him?

Everyone’s got opinions about the Golden State Warriors right now. Clearly, the launch of this season has not gone to plan. After jettisoning the veterans that were at the heart of a resurgent bench crew last season, the Warriors leaned into the youth movement this year. It’s as much by design inertia as any viable choice - the team is heavily top loaded on salary, and had already decided that it was time to take the training wheels off to see what the youth movement looks like.

So far? It looked bad. Whether the players work out eventually or not is a bit of a moot point now. This team needs to start winning and the solution that Kerr and the rest of the decision makers have come to is that a tightened rotation is the way to go.

This isn’t from today, but here’s Kerr recently on why Moody fell out of the rotation:

Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater

Moses Moody has been nudged out of the Warriors’ current rotation. Steve Kerr said he’s talked to Moody about “turnovers and fouling” as the inhibiting issues, but expects Moody to get back in the picture soon. Full soundbite

Interestingly, Moody has one of the best fouling rates on the team, though he does turn it over about as frequently as Draymond Green - and Moody’s lower usage rate probably makes that exchange a lot less palatable. Still Moody has long stood out amongst the youth brigade trio as the player that seems to have the most consistently reliable feel for the game.

Tonight will be his opportunity to get some minutes. The San Antonio Spurs are a rebuilding team with a few interesting parts already in place, if Moody can stand out as one of the team’s better options tonight on the wing, it might carry a lot of weight moving forward. Thompson is averaging 28.5 minutes per game, so his absence tonight represents a meaningful opportunity.