Drafted in 19th position by the Warriors, Brandin Podziemski takes advantage of injuries to show off from the start of the season, and his nerve and talent have already caught the eye of Steve Kerr and Stephen Curry. The young guard has the ideal profile to come off the bench and bring his enthusiasm and great game intelligence. After the victory against the Clippers and the 13 points and 8 rebounds of his rookie, it was Draymond Green who praised of this player from Santa Clara, like a certain Steve Nash.
“He’s a gamer. He's a competitor. And he’s smart,” describes the All-Star interior. “He's a student of the game. He asks millions of questions, whether it's [Chris Paul], to me or to the coach… He always asks questions. He comes and sits next to you and listens to you. And it shows when he plays. »
He won't go to the G-League often…
At 20 years old, Podziemski was initially expected to spend time in the G-League, but he immediately fit the Warriors mold. Golden State scouts have once again found a player who fits the local identity perfectly. And Green assures that he felt it immediately.
“From mini-camp, we knew that BP could play. Considering our squad, I'm sure we expected him to spend a lot of time in Santa Cruz (G-league).” recalls Green. “But we saw him play once and we were like, 'This boy can play!' “. Then we saw him in action again, and I said to my friends, “I know everyone thinks BP is going to spend a lot of time in Santa Cruz, but look at him, he's going to be in the rotation.” .
Unlike other rookies, he doesn’t “mess up actions”
Stuck on the bench five times this season, Podziemski now manages to come off the bench on a regular basis, and he is quite efficient with around 7 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists in 17 minutes.
“It’s unfortunate to have injuries, but when you do, you have to seize every opportunity” continues Green. “Every time we call on him, he responds! So it’s a good thing to see him succeed the way he does. It's great for him because he will continue to progress. Last night, for example, he took eight rebounds. I couldn't even get eight rebounds tonight! He was everywhere. And then, he's a rookie. Usually, rookies screw up actions. And that’s not his case.”
