The New York Knicks have won the NBA Finals and Jalen Brunson is currently the king of the league. The Golden State Warriors have a player on the team who is like a younger version of Brunson, even if many fans would chafe at that comparison.
That’s right, Brandin Podziemski is not too dissimilar from a young Jalen Brunson. Sam Esfandiari posted a video on social media of Podziemski as a rookie talking about how Brunson is one of the players he looks up to. Esfandiari captioned the post with, “We got Brunson at home,” which is certainly a little tongue in cheek but there are some legitimate similarities.
Podziemski could develop into solid, Brunson-like player with Warriors
Both are smaller guards who shoot left-handed. Both were somewhat underestimated in their early years in the league. Brunson has gone on to etch his name in the history books, and while Podziemski is still trying to cement himself as a regular starter, he can continue to look to Brunson as his lodestar.
Now, is Podziemski going to lead a team to an NBA title in six years when he's 29 -- the age that Brunson currently is? Almost certainly not. But could he be a very solid starter in the NBA at that point whose controversial status amongst fans is a thing of the past? Absolutely.
We got Brunson at home https://t.co/g1X33uZ8BG pic.twitter.com/aTyuRWCq04
— Sam Esfandiari (@samesfandiari) June 14, 2026
Podziemski is still polarizing amongst fans but those who stuck with the Warriors until the end last season, even when things got ugly and they were ravaged by injuries, know that Podziemski really made some progress in the final weeks.
With Stephen Curry out, Podziemski got a lot more playing time and started to become the team’s most reliable scorer. He wasn’t perfect and would still make mistakes, but he clearly got better which is all you can really ask for from a young player.
His numbers have steadily improved each season and he’s starting to hit milestones, like when he got his first 30-point game or played in all 82 games in the season. Those are important things that are only going to give him more confidence going forward.
Obviously Podziemski’s confidence in himself can rub fans the wrong way, but last season probably helped him grow up so much both as a player and a person. He understands how the media works and how he has to be careful with what he says, and he also understands just how valuable it is to be healthy and on the court after guys went down all around him.
Like it or not, Podziemski is going to be an important part of next season’s Warriors team. He has a little bit of Brunson in him, and even if he never gets to that same level, the Warriors are going to benefit as long as he keeps on progressing and improving.
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