Moses Moody\u2019s inconsistent shooting took him from the starting lineup to the back of Steve Kerr\u2019s rotation during the playoffs, but there may have been an explanation: A torn ligament in the thumb of his shooting hand.<\/p>\n
Warriors guard Moses Moody underwent successful surgery yesterday in Los Angeles to repair a torn Ulnar Collateral ligament (UCL) in his right thumb: pic.twitter.com\/oZHy2M4Vzn<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Warriors PR (@WarriorsPR) May 22, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n The Golden State Warriors<\/a> announced Thursday that Moody had undergone a successful surgery on the UCL in his thumb. That\u2019s the ligament at the base of the thumb on the pinky side, where the thumb bone meets the hand bones. The ulnar collateral ligament of the thumb is important for hand and grip strength, and can lead to pain and swelling and is generally caused when the thumb absorbs the impact of a fall.<\/p>\n This ailment is, horrifyingly enough, known as \u201cgamekeeper\u2019s thumb,\u201d because it relates to the motion an old gamekeeper would use to snap the necks of rabbits and other crop-eating animals. But the modern term is \u201cskier\u2019s thumb,\u201d because more people today are holding ski poles than maintaining an English country estate. It\u2019s not be confused with \u201cgamer\u2019s thumb,\u201d which is an inflammation of the tendons in the thumb, generally caused by repetitive motions with a gaming controller or relentless texting.<\/p>\n Moody had a bad shooting stretch during the playoffs, going 0-for-14 from Game 7 of the Houston Rockets<\/a> series through Game 3 of the Minnesota Timberwolves<\/a> series. His minutes declined to just over three minutes in the Game 3 loss, in which he didn\u2019t attempt a single shot. It was brutal timing for the short-handed Warriors, even with the caveat that most players are somewhat banged-up in the playoffs.<\/p>\n In general, Moody\u2019s three-point shooting has been quite consistent across his four full seasons, ranging from 36% to 37.4%, even as his three-point volume increased to 4.6 attempts per game. In previous playoffs, Moody shot 20-for-35 from behind the arc and 53.5% overall, so he doesn\u2019t seem to shrink from big moments. It\u2019s not clear when the injury occurred, since the Warriors never announced it, but Moody did occasionally have his hand wrapped late in the season, where he went 5-for-19 over the season\u2019s final week.<\/p>\n Recovery time from the surgery can last three-to-four months, which explains why Moody didn\u2019t get the procedure done until the Warriors were eliminated. He should have his grip strength and range of motion back before training camp, though all hand injuries can be tricky for a basketball player.<\/p>\n It\u2019s an educational injury, both to possibly explain Moody\u2019s struggles and as an anatomy lesson. This author did not realize that the hand even had a UCL, a three-letter acronym that usually comes up when pitchers tear the ulnar collateral ligament in their elbows, which leads to \u201cTommy John\u201d surgery. Basically, don\u2019t expect Moses Moody to throw a sick curveball anytime soon, but it\u2019s reasonable to expect him to remain the completely average three-point shooter he\u2019s always been.<\/p>\n