Brandin Podziemski may only be 20 years old, but his impact on the Warriors can not be minimized. Very few players make the most out of the 17 minutes a game that he has, and he’s learning from the best – Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.
Even though the Golden State Warriors lost to the Clippers on Saturday afternoon, Podziemski had a positive differential and put up 12 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal on 56% shooting from the field. Since entering the lineup, Podziemski revealed the advice he’s been receiving from Steph Curry and Klay Thompson that’s been helping with these contributions.
“Just being poised, not letting any outside noise get to you,” Podziemski said. “You know [Stephen Curry], the amount of stuff he has to go through on a daily basis, stuff he has to deal with, just blocking that out and staying poised in the moment, definitely a carry-over effect into my game.”
The Warriors have found a way to compete and still be very effective during the absences of Andrew Wiggins, Chris Paul, and Gary Payton II. Much of that success should be owed to the young players on the team like Podziemski.
“As a competitor, that’s what you live for. And for me as a rookie, that’s a goal of mine is just to earn the trust of the coaching staff and to be out there during crunch time. It stinks when you lose, but I think I did alright.”