Moses Moody celebrating.

Golden State Warriors swingman Moses Moody finally got the good news he’s been waiting — and working — hard for.

After Moody dropped a season-high 22 points to lead all starters in the Warriors’ 132-108 win over their California rival Sacramento Kings on Friday, Feb. 21, Golden State coach Steve Kerr made a long-term call on the future of the 14th overall pick of the 2021 draft.

“I imagine we will stay with this lineup,” Kerr told reporters. “I hope so. Because we’ve had a million different starting lineups this year. It’d be really nice to stick with this for the rest of the season and keep building continuity with our lineups.”

Moody is the Warriors’ starting power forward in their small-ball lineup with Draymond Green as the center, Stephen Curry and Brandin Podziemski at the backcourt and Jimmy Butler in the wings.

“That’s just the way that they got to put it on the stat sheet, but everybody does everything on this team,” Moody said of his new designated position. “I do the same thing as when I was the two [guard]. It’s a position-less basketball.”

Moses Moody is Better as a Starter

Moody has benefited the most from the Warriors’ 4-for-1 consolidation trade for Butler. The 22-year-old swingman out of Arkansas has made a strong case for Kerr to start him.

The Warriors are 8-0 this season and 22-9 overall when Moody starts.

In eight games he has started this season, the 6-foot-5 Moody averaged 12.9 points on 55.6% overall shooting and 51% from the 3-point line (2.5 3s) with 3.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists.

In 40 games off the bench in which the Warriors have a losing record (18-22), Moody only averaged 8.8 points on 41.8% overall shooting and 31.6% from the 3-point line (1.6 3s) with 2.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists.

It’s a night and day. It’s pretty clear that the Warriors are much better with Moody as a starter.

“Just the confidence that’s coming from playing consistent minutes,” Kerr said of Moody. “He’s a good fit playing next to BP, Steph, Jimmy, Draymond. Those guys are playmakers. He can play the role he is more comfortable with — space the floor, let it fly when he’s open, play hard, compete. Moses is in a really good place and has really established himself as a starter with this group and I’m excited about him.”

From Observer to Active Participant

Moody, too, is excited that his hard work is finally paying off.

“It feels good,” Moody said.

Moody has graduated from just being an observer on the bench into an active participant on the floor.

“You learn the best from observation,” Moody said. “So, just being in the locker room with the guys whether if it’s halftime and we’re losing in halftime or we’re winning — just the information that they’re dishing out and the stuff that they’re doing in the game like getting double team stuff, getting it out and making us play behind the defense, just different techniques that I see as well as the coaching staff. There’s plenty of opportunity to learn out here from plenty of really good guys.”

Moody is now putting all together the stuff that he’s learned and continually learning from his future Hall-of-Fame teammates and coach.

“We’re feeling good,” Moody said. “I like the team that we got. We got a good flow as we’re able to get a practice under our belt now over the break and got to settle in with the new team. So, I think we’re good right now.”

The Jimmy Butler Effect

Butler’s arrival has dramatically changed the outlook and the makeup of this once downtrodden Warriors team. He’s been the Yin to Curry’s Yang. Butler’s inside game is the perfect fit next to Curry’s out-of-this-world outside shooting.

Moody and the rest of the team have benefited from the attention the Warriors’ new 1-2 punch is getting from the opposing defense.

“The floor feels balanced with a lot of open shots that are available out there as long as well as free throws,” Moody said. “We’re getting into the free throw line more, putting pressure on the rim. So I just feel like the best way to describe is it’s balanced.”

The Warriors shot 12-of-12 free throws, scored 50 points inside the paint and drilled 20 3-pointers, five of them coming from Moody.

Moody said their confidence is “through the roof right now” after a 4-1 start with Butler. They are two games above .500 and have climbed to ninth seed in the Western Conference with still 26 games left — the ninth-easiest remaining schedule, according to Tankathon.

“That’s what it is,” Moody said. “We got a good rhythm, good groove as a team. We know we got to put in the work over this last stretch. So, we’re locked in.”