It’s still too early to tell but Golden State Warriors rookie guard Brandin Podziemski is showing tremendous promise as a potential Stephen Curry heir apparent.
Podziemski impressed coach Steve Kerr on Friday night when the rookie delivered a double-double in a close 129-125 Warriors victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on the road.
“Brandin is just a basketball player,” Kerr told reporters after their second straight preseason win over the Lakers. “He just knows the game. We’re playing him at the point.”
“We didn’t really know what position he was when we drafted him really, but he’s just a basketball player. He feels the game and he’s fearless, makes winning plays over and over again. We’re really excited about this guy.”
Their excitement is warranted.
The 20-year-old rookie with golden curls had a gem of a game.
Podziemski finished with 10 points and 10 assists against zero turnovers. He added six rebounds and one blocked shot in 26 minutes off the bench. But the most important stats he had was his game-high plus-16 — an illustration of how he impacted winning.
Podziemski was part of Kerr’s youthful closing lineup that saw him sealing the win with a free throw split in the final 4.4 seconds.
Kerr closed the tightly contested game with Podziemski, Moses Moody, Jerome Robinson, Jonathan Kuminga, and Trayce Jackson-Davis. He was pleased to see them come through with the hard-earned victory.
“That was the highlight of the game,” Kerr said of his young players’ performance down the stretch. “Those guys doing a lot of good things to help us win the game… then having to feel that game pressure and coming through. It’s a great effort by that group down the stretch.”
Two preseason games in, Podziemski is averaging 10.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists against only 1.0 turnover in 26.0 minutes.
It’s hard to imagine Podziemski earning significant minutes behind Curry and Chris Paul when the real games begin. But the Warriors might be looking at their next great point guard in Podziemski once the 35-year-old Curry and 38-year-old Paul hang up their sneakers.
Draymond Green Makes Progress
Draymond Green sat out his second straight preseason game with a sprained ankle. However, Kerr said the veteran forward has made progress.
“[He’s] still rehabbing, but he’s able to work on his conditioning and his body,” Kerr told reporters after their October 11 practice. “So, he’s getting plenty done but has not practiced yet.”
Anthony Slater of The Athletic spotted Green having a long individual workout after the Warriors’ Friday shootaround in Los Angeles.
“It appeared to be full speed,” Slater posted on X (formerly Twitter) while noting that Green worked with Kerr’s coaching staff, including Kenny Atkinson, Jacob Rubin and Klay’s brother, Mychel Thompson.
Steve Kerr Doesn’t Care About NBA Gm’s Prediction
The Warriors received zero vote of confidence from the other 29 NBA general managers in their bid to win their fifth championship since 2015.
“I don’t care, it makes no difference,” Kerr told reporters after Tuesday’s practice, eliciting laughter in the room. “It never did anything for me when people picked us. It doesn’t do anything for me when they don’t.
“It’s just interesting stuff for fans to read. Nothing helpful or harmful to us. It’s definitely not any bulletin board material. We’re not posting that on the locker-room wall, ‘No GMs picked us to win the title. How does that make you feel, fellas?’ I don’t think anybody cares.”
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Have the Warriors Found Stephen Curry’s Heir Apparent?