The Golden State Warriors haven't shown very much to feel inspired about through three games. They suffered a blowout loss at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers on opening night before failing to close a game against a sub-par Memphis Grizzlies squad in their second matchup of the season. With the veterans resting, the matchup against the Phoenix Suns on the second night of a back-to-back was essentially a scheduled loss.
At 0-3, the season certainly isn't over. If the Warriors can keep their heads above water long enough to swing a major trade or see the returns of Jimmy Butler or Moses Moody, there will be room for some optimism with this roster. But the indefinite loss of Kristaps Porzingis is a blow that likely can't be immediately overcome—at least not in terms of the ceiling of this team.
Porzingis wasn't just meant to be the true center on Golden State's roster (and fulfill those duties on both ends of the court) this season. He was also meant to be a second offensive option next to Stephen Curry, and there's reason to believe that, were he healthy, he could be averaging 18-20 points per game in the Warriors' system.
But for all intents and purposes, we need to assume the Warriors aren't going to get that from him. The full return of Brandin Podziemski, though, from the lower back soreness that sidelined him for two of the team's first three games, at the very least, could provide some much needed depth and complexity on the offensive end.
Warriors need as much scoring as they can get—and that helps crystallize Brandin Podziemski's role
Of course, seeing the player that appeared in all 82 of the Warriors' games last season unavailable at the start of the new campaign is far from a good omen, especially considering how injury-prone the rest of this roster is. But it's safe to assume, for now, that Podziemski's issue is a short-term one.
He's been overwhelmingly available across his three full NBA seasons, appearing in a remarkable 216 out of a possible 246 regular season games.
There are certainly aspects to his game that are polarizing. He's generally a negative on the defensive end, and his inefficiencies as a self-creator and a shooter from distance can often compromise some of the more positive aspects of the Warriors offense.
But at this point, Golden State simply needs scoring. And if Podziemski can manage to regain even 75% of the on-ball viability he found last season in a starting role, that's about as large a boon as the Warriors could expect to get at this juncture.
Podziemski jumped into a starting role last season when things went south injury-wise for the Warriors, averaging 17.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.8 assists while knocking down 38% of his attempts from beyond the arc across his final 33 games. More importantly, his efficiency as a whole went up as well. He converted 46.7% of his attempts from the field in that span, and he looked exponentially more confident and steady getting to his spots on the floor and acting as a primary contributor to Golden State's offense.
Things will obviously look different this year with Curry back in the fold. But in Podziemski's lone appearance this season, it seemed as though he largely picked up where he left off, posting 18 points, two rebounds, and three assists even while having an inconsistent night from 3-point range. Sure, he disappeared in the fourth quarter along with the rest of the Warriors' scorers, but the message was clear.
Podziemski is going to need to be at least a moderately consistent scorer for the Warriors this season if they're going to stand any chance at competitiveness, and he'll be more than willing to at least attempt to take on that role when he's healthy.
Interestingly, the Warriors best offensive performance of the season came against a usually staunch Phoenix team while all of their starters outside of Yaxel Lendeborg and Gui Santos were resting. Even factoring in that performance, though, Golden State is still 20th in the league in average points scored and 24th in field goal percentage this season. Neither of those numbers will be enough to help keep them afloat in the play-in race, let alone compete for a top-six seed in the West.
As evidenced by the loss to Memphis, having Podziemski in the fold won't be enough to save this Warriors season. There's simply too much uncertainty at the center position and with the rest of this rotation with the way things stand right now.
But Podziemski can certainly score when given the opportunity, and having a second consistent threat in the backcourt (coupled with a potential resurgence for De'Anthony Melton) will give the Warriors another dimension on offense—one that they desperately need if they're going to turn this ship around.
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