The Golden State Warriors faced an unfortunate setback on Monday night as 23-year-old swingman Moses Moody suffered a potentially season-ending non-contact injury after attempting a breakaway dunk in OT against the Dallas Mavericks.
Moody returned from a 10-game absence because of a finger injury and led the Warriors in scoring in a comeback 137-131 win on the road.
Unfortunately, he rejoined the injured list with just a minute left in OT, where it seemed like the Warriors had already secured their result. The replays of the injury have made multiple fans uncomfortable due to their graphic nature as well.
Thankfully, it seems Moody's injury isn't as bad as it looked. While it still is a major patella injury that could sideline him until the end of next season, Warriors coach Steve Kerr revealed on Willard and Dibs that it's a conventional injury without additional damage to cartilage or bone.
"The MRI was clean. It's the [patellar] tendon. No damage to cartilage or bone, so that's the good news. That allows it to be a pretty basic surgery."
Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
Moody's injury looked like it potentially caused more damage to his knee than just his patellar tendon, so the fact that he'll have to just repair that is good news within the Warriors organization. We've seen players suffer and return from this injury, although it is just as challenging as an ACL or Achilles tear, given the 12-month recovery time.
The tendon connects the kneecap to the tibia and is regularly engaged during basketball, in particular, as this tendon allows players to execute high-force jumps. Moody was going up for a dunk when he tore his, so it'll also be a mental challenge to recover for the guard as he likely will plot a return in-time for the 2027-28 season.
Moody was averaging 12.1 points on 44.0% from the field and 40.1% from three this season, posting career-high marks and emerging as a core member of the Warriors' rotation.
