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In a Q&A with the Seattle Times this week, Moore acknowledged he never felt like he played up to his potential after missing the first five games of last season with a fractured left wrist.
The 6-foot-1 junior gave himself a "D" grade for his erratic sophomore season, partially attributing a decline in scoring and assists per game to lingering discomfort in his wrist that prevented him from being able to go left off the dribble. Moore also admitted his effort lagged at times and he never felt comfortable trying to work his way back into the offense after Klay Thompson scored at such a torrid pace those first five games of the season.
"I'd give myself a D because I expect a lot from myself and I set really high goals," Moore told the Times.
"Coach always talks about I was going through the motions and I kind of was. Sitting out the first half and then coming back was kind of weird for me. I remember talking to coach about it. Klay was killing it. He was scoring 30 (points) a game and how do I come back into this. And (coach) was like just be you. It was kind of hard."
With Thompson and DeAngelo Casto turning pro last spring and Washington State lacking any semblance of an interior game, the Cougars will need Moore to play more like he did as a freshman when he averaged 12.7 points and 4.2 assists per game. Senior Faisal Aden and Fresno State transfer Michael Ladd will help alleviate some of the pressure on Moore, but he knows the Cougars need more from him to even finish in the upper half of the Pac-12.
The good news is Moore insists his confidence is back and his wrist feels "100 percent." He said he felt slow at times last season, so he cut the fast food out of his diet and shed five pounds without losing any muscle definition.
Not much is expected of Washington State as a result of the losses the Cougars sustained from last year's NIT team, but Moore is fine with flying under the radar.
"A lot of people are kind of doubting us because of last year and I don't blame anybody," he told the Times. "Last year I played like crap so they probably don't expect anything from me at all, but I plan to have a lot better season.
"A lot of people around town, Jamal (Crawford) and Nate (Robinson), they always tell me, 'You got to have a Kemba Walker type of season.' That's not saying I'm going to average 30 (points) or we're going to win a national championship, but just being that type of player. If I got to score, then I got to score. I need to be a better leader."