It only took one preseason game for Brandin Podziemski to quieten his critics

Brandin Podziemski recently told The Athletic of his desire to be a leader of the Golden State Warriors in the post Stephen Curry, leading to some criticism from fans for his very publicized goals.

With Curry and Jimmy Butler sidelined for Sunday's preseason game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Warrior fans got a glimpse of what a Podziemski-led future may look like. Despite a rocky start for the team in the first-half, the third-year guard was clearly Golden State's biggest positive in the 126-116 loss at Crypto.com Arena.

Brandin Podziemski quietened some of his critics with a promising preseason display

While he's already proven an incredibly valuable role player alongside the likes of Curry and Butler, Podziemski's shot-creation and playmaking has been a concern for many when it comes to his potential as a future star.

The 22-year-old silenced some of those doubts with an excellent display, particularly in the third-quarter where he led a Warrior fightback after they found themselves down by 17 at half-time. Podziemski had 14 points and three assists in the third alone, recording a team-high 23 and eight assists for the game on 10-of-16 shooting from the floor and 3-of-7 from 3-point range. He also led the Warriors in plus-minus, finishing as a +6 in his 26 minutes.

Podziemski's three-level scoring was an incredibly positive sign for the Warriors, having nailed a couple of pull-up mid-range jump-shots while also finishing at the rim effectively on multiple occasions.

A significant third-year leap from Podziemski could go a long way in Golden State closing the gap between themselves and the absolute top tier of contenders in the league, not to mention it would make for a far brighter outlook on what may otherwise be a gloomy post Curry era in the coming years.

Jonathan Kuminga also took advantage of the increase in offensive role, dishing out six assists as his passing and playmaking continues to become a noticeably improved element in preseason. The young forward shot 5-of-8 from the floor which included a monstrous highlight transition dunk over Lakers forward Jake LaRavia, but Kuminga did also record five turnovers and was a -10 in his 22 minutes.

Trayce Jackson-Davis was the visitors' second-leading scorer with 14 points to go with seven rebounds, having played 20 minutes off the bench thanks to the absence of Al Horford who was out alongside Curry, Butler and the injured Moses Moody.

The Warriors will now head to Portland to face the Trail Blazers at Moda Center on Tuesday, before completing their preseason against the L.A. Clippers back at Chase Center on Friday.