NCAA Basketball: Breakdown of star freshmen from Montverde high school

Moses Moody- Arkansas- 6’6 – 205 lbs – May 2001

Moody is a prototypical three-and-D wing. He’s got good size (needs to add weight but he likely will), a clean shooting stroke, and can guard a few positions. Moody, a four-star recruit, is another guy who didn’t get to show his full arsenal for Montverde. He averaged 11 points per game in high school but was up to 17 per game in the Nike EYBL when he had more responsibility.

Moody didn’t flash much on-ball creation at Montverde, and honestly, I’m not sure he has that in his bag. He attacks closeouts fairly well, but his lack of strength makes finishing a bit of a challenge. He’s a fine athlete, but not overly explosive.

At Arkansas, Moody will step directly into the void that both Isaiah Joe and Mason Jones left. But replacing the production of two veteran scorers will be tough. Joe is an outlier good shooter, who could drill NBA shots off the catch. Jones was a very good isolation scorer, who could create for others. Again, I’m not sure Moody will have either of those skills next year.

Eric Musselman’s squad will still be firmly in the NCAA Tournament picture. Junior guard Desi Sills should continue to improve and Indiana transfer Justin Smith should help down low. But how good Moody is will shift the ceiling of this team. Arkansas will ask him to take and make a lot of tough shots.

Draft experts are split on where Moody stands in the 2021 draft. Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman has him as high as 11, but ESPN’s Jonathan Givony has him No. 31. Sports Illustrated’s Jeremy Woo did not rank Moody in his initial top 30.

If Moody does flash some insane shooting numbers, he can certainly go lottery. But I project him closer to where Givony and Woo have him. There’s also a chance he comes back for a second season.

NBA Draft Projection: 2021 late first round, early second round