The Golden State Warriors have had a pretty up-and-down season, but they just got a very important reminder about Brandin Podziemski: He still has the potential to be a crucial part of the puzzle for the team moving forward. A big-time scoring performance off the bench on Sunday helped lift Golden State to a win, and Podziemski flashed his potential.
Though he hasn’t taken the leap that some fans may have wanted to see him take heading into the season, Podziemski still has the talent to be an important piece of the Warriors’ long-term future. He can score, he can playmake, and he can defend. But most importantly, he can help the team win games.
Now, and in the future.
Brandin Podziemski reminds Warriors fans of who he is
It’s been a pretty up-and-down season for Podziemski, much like it has been for the Warriors, and he hasn’t exactly taken the major scoring leap that some people projected him to heading into this year.
Obviously, playing alongside the likes of Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler will hinder some scoring chances, but he hasn’t even been able to take over as a full-time starter this year.
But on Sunday night, Podziemski played 28:55 in a bench role for Golden State, which was missing Curry, and churned out an impressive performance to lead a 123-99 victory.
The Warriors guard finished the night with 21 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, and two steals while shooting 7-of-13 from the floor and 5-of-9 from beyond the three-point arc. It was one of, if not the most complete game he’s played all season.
At just 22 years old, Podziemski is still very early on in his NBA career, and he has plenty of time to learn and grow as a player with the Warriors.
But every once in a while, it’s still great to see some results come along. And Sunday night was a perfect reminder for Warriors fans: Podziemski still has the potential to be a star at the NBA level.
The next step will obviously be to string together these types of performances on a regular basis, but that all has to start with one, and perhaps Sunday was just that.
So, even though Golden State has slogged its way through the season thus far, with injuries and other problems holding them back, fans can use Sunday night as a friendly reminder that the team’s young core is being held down nicely.
Podziemski is still a great young player.