As the Golden State Warriors narrowly defeated the Toronto Raptors 117-114 on Thursday night, superstar guard Stephen Curry left the game with what was later revealed to be a pelvic contusion.
While there is not yet a set timetable for Curry's return, the 2x MVP will at least miss Saturday's game against the Atlanta Hawks before being re-evaluated on Monday. As the Warriors chase a playoff berth, they now have their work even more cut out for them in the tightly-packed Western Conference.
As of late, Curry has been playing some of the best basketball of his last few seasons, averaging 25 points, 3.9 rebounds and 6.1 assists in his last 10 games. Simultaneously, Brandin Podziemski has also largely emerged from the sophomore slump that plagued his early-season efforts. In his last 10 games, Podziemski has averaged 13.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists.
Even through his injury woes this season, Podziemski has been one of Golden State's most pivotal players, and he will now presumably need to take a larger role in Curry's absence.
Brandin Podziemski's ball-handling could be a major factor for Warriors down the stretch
While Podziemski struggled mightily entering his second year in the NBA -- averaging only eight points across his first 30 games of the season -- a 12-game absence as a result of an abdominal strain in January seemingly helped reset him mentally.
He has now fully taken over the starting shooting-guard role from the streaky Buddy Hield, and apart from a recent five-game absence due to injury, has returned to the exciting form that Warriors fans saw during his rookie year.
Yet many of the 22-year-old's struggles this season have been a result of his usage. For much of the season, Podziemski was expected to be the primary ball-handler and shot creator of the bench unit. Where Podziemski is most comfortable is playing alongside Curry, whose dynamic off-ball movement and passing abilities help Podziemski to operate more smoothly within Golden State's offense.
Now, in Curry's absence, there are a number of line-ups that head coach Steve Kerr can, and probably will go to. However, one thing is certain -- Podziemski will be relied upon to take a significant portion of Curry's playmaking duties. While this is not necessarily an ideal scenario for the Warriors, whose offense centers so closely around Curry, it could be an opportunity for Podziemski to take a major step forward in his game.
While this is not necessarily an ideal scenario for the Warriors, whose offense centers so closely around Curry, it could be an opportunity for Podziemski to take a major step forward in his game.
As Golden State looks beyond this current season, and perhaps beyond the Curry era itself, Podziemski certainly has to play a large part in their plans for keeping the team relevant, and his development could be a silver lining as the team pushes through the final stretch of the season.