Third-year Warriors guard Moses Moody has made his mark by staying ready for whatever role coach Steve Kerr has in mind for him.
Moody's always-prepared mindset whether starting, coming off the bench or falling completely out of the rotation never wavers -- and that perspective makes so much sense when considering the vast amount of wisdom and proverbs the 21-year-old can drop at any given time.
In fact, after the Warriors' 117-113 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday at Frost Bank Center, Moody shared one piece of sage advice that has helped him look at his NBA career in a realistic light.
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"Yeah, definitely," Moody told reporters when asked if he could appreciate how far he has come since being drafted. The question was posed just hours after Kerr, during his pregame press conference, recalled one of his first conversations with the young guard which showed the coach that Moody was wise beyond his years.
"It hasn't been a smooth sea," Moody continued. "It's been bumpy ... I heard somebody else talk about, don't be surprised if the boat's going to rock during the storm. It's supposed to. Life is a storm, and everything's a journey. Not expecting everything to be straight. It's just being prepared for whatever."
Moody finished Sunday's win with 10 points on 3-of-6 shooting with four rebounds and one assist in 22 minutes off the bench. During Golden State's current four-game winning streak, Moody is averaging 11.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists.
Golden State Warriors
His professionalism at such a young age has earned him praise from Chris Paul, who recently called Moody one of his favorite teammates ever, and Draymond Green said Sunday that the first-round 2021 NBA Draft pick is making an impact for the Warriors down the stretch.
"Moses is being exactly what we know Moses is," Green told reporters Sunday. "No matter when his number's called, he's always ready to go. He's always in the gym working on his game whether he's in the rotation or not. He continues to prove himself each and every time that he comes back out [of] the rotation.
"When he gets back in it, he plays even better. So it's great to see Moses playing the way he's playing. It's helping us right now. The energy that he's bringing, the shooting that he's bringing, everything that he's bringing to the floor has been positive for us, and he's helping us in a major way."
The Warriors will need everyone to contribute in a big way if they want to hang onto the Western Conference's No. 10 seed and have a chance in the NBA play-in tournament.
But they can rest assured Moody will be ready -- with a fire bar or two along the way.