Young guard inexplicably omitted from trio of Warriors facing most pressure

Having missed the playoffs last season and with a 36-year-old franchise superstar in Stephen Curry, the Golden State Warriors will enter next season under a significant amount of pressure.

That pressure will also sift through each member of the organization individually, but particularly a number of players whose form will prove crucial to the Warriors hopes of a deep playoff run.

Brandin Podziemski should be among the top three Golden State Warriors players under the most pressure entering next season

In a recent article earlier this week, Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report listed Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and Andrew Wiggins as the three Golden State players most under pressure entering next season.

Each of those make some sense -- Wiggins is needing to respond from the worst season of his 10-year career, while Kuminga and Moody will be out to prove their worth regardless of whether they receive a contract extension or not in the coming weeks.

However, if we're talking about a combination of public and internal pressure entering next season, young guard Brandin Podziemski is an obvious omission from Buckley's list. Whether rightly or wrongly, the 21-year-old is set to be heavily scrutinized after the Warriors decision not to include him in a trade for Lauri Markkanen this summer.

The Utah Jazz reportedly had their eyes on Podziemski in any deal for the 2023 All-Star, but Golden State's offer instead revolved around Moody and a haul of future draft picks. That meant a deal was never forthcoming, leaving the Jazz to renegotiate and extend Markkanen's contract to secure his future with the franchise.

Podziemski is slated for a significant role not only as the likely back court partner for Stephen Curry, but also as the back up point guard behind the 2x MVP. The All-Rookie First Team member has also been outspoken on his individual goals this offseason, telling Mark Medina of Sportskeeda that he wants to win Most Improved Player and put his name up as one of the league's up-and-coming stars.

All this combines to mean that eyes will be squarely focused on Podziemski next season, though his self-confidence and rate of improvement suggests he might be up to the task. Last year's 19th overall pick should replace Moody in the top three Warriors under the most pressure, with more scrutiny likely to be placed on head coach Steve Kerr to actually give the 6'6" wing more consistent playing opportunity.