Medical expert explains Warriors’ Moody’s road to recovery: ‘Not something that you want to rush him back from’
SAN FRANCISCO – Moses Moody will have a long road to recovery after tearing his left patellar tendon on March 24 in Dallas.
Moody underwent a procedure late last week that will require anywhere between nine to 12 months of rehab. He is approaching the process with optimism.
“I appreciate all of the love,” Moody wrote on X on Sunday. “Every challenge I’ve been through in life I’m glad I went through. I’m sure I’ll feel the same about this.”
It is a challenge that will require him to complete several crucial steps before returning to action.
Ryan Kennelly, a sports physical therapist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, told the Bay Area News Group that the Warriors should be cautious with Moody’s rehab and return.
“This is not something that you want to rush him back from,” Kennelly told this news organization last week. “The top cause of injury, or in this case a re-tear, is returning to play too early. That’s always a risk you want to avoid. Because in any injury, a re-injury to the same patellar tendon is going to set an athlete back even further.”
Golden State Warriors guard Moses Moody reacts after being fouled by Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg during overtime of an NBA basketball game Monday, March 23, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Moody helped his recovery by undergoing surgery soon after the initial injury, Kennelly explained, as the timely procedure meant that the torn tendon “doesn’t retract and shorten more than it already does after being torn.”
Kennelly explained what the next year will require from Moody.
With surgery done, Moody will likely have his knee locked in a brace, which will allow the tendon to heal. Kennelly said that Moody will begin working on being able to bend and straighten his knee, but that he will not want to put much weight on it during this time.
At about eight to 12 weeks, Kennelly says that is when Moody can begin to walk without the brace.
“He might be out of the brace, and the first goal is to restore proper gait mechanics, making sure that he can walk normally, and that he’s able to straighten his knee out fully when he walks,” Kennelly said. “Can he tolerate what we call full weight bearing on that leg without any pain or issues?”
By the third or fourth month, Moody will hopefully have full range of motion in his knee without feeling any pain. Helping Moody’s recovery is what Kennelly called a great medical staff in Golden State, and Moody’s age.
“What benefits him is that he’s 23 years old, so he’s got youth on his side from a healing standpoint,” Kennelly said. “He’s got younger tendons, essentially, that are probably going to help him out in the healing process.”
Even with youth in Moody’s favor, Kennelly said fans would be wise to temper their expectations when it comes to his level of play after returning to the court.
Whether that is at the end of the 2026-27 season, or possibly the beginning of the 2027-28 season, it could take Moody time to get back to being the same player who shot 40.1% from the 3-point line this season.
“Sometimes athletes say, even though you get back to playing in a year’s time, it’s that next year, in that one- to two-year range, where they get back to feeling like themselves,” Kennelly said.
