Following an impressive playoff career-high 26 points in Game 4 against the Houston Rockets two weeks ago, Brandin Podziemski's shooting has fallen off a cliff for the Golden State Warriors at the worst possible time.
Podziemski has shot just 31.5% from the floor and 26.7% from 3-point range over the last six games, yet the Warriors only have one choice when it comes to the 22-year-old's woefully inefficient shooting in recent times.
The Warriors must hold faith in Brandin Podziemski
Podziemski played nearly 40 minutes in Saturday's Game 3 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, scoring just five points on 1-of-10 shooting from the floor as Golden State fell to an agonising 102-97 defeat.
It led many to question why head coach Steve Kerr was retaining so much faith in Podziemski, particularly when he's had no issue limiting the minutes of Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody amid their struggles at different points over the last few years.
This might be a fair argument right now if the Warriors had Stephen Curry available, but without the hamstrung 2x MVP there's a distinct lack of guards and therefore realistic options who could replace some of Podziemski's minutes.
Should Golden State go back to the vastly inexperienced Pat Spencer after he was a DNP in Game 3? Gary Payton II was largely ineffective and played nearly 26 minutes anyway, while Buddy Hield is already at over 32 minutes.
There's also the major factor of Podziemski being able to consistently contribute in other areas, making him a far more versatile player than almost every other player on the Warrior roster. The second-year guard's shooting may have been dismal in Game 3, but he did add eight rebounds and his defense in this series has generally been fairly stout.
Podziemski had six rebounds and six assists in Game 3, eight rebounds and three assists in Game 3, has yet to have a game this postseason where he's recorded more than two turnovers, and is fourth on the team in plus-minus among players who have seen at least 40 minutes in the playoffs.
It's these reasons that show Kerr and Golden State have no choice but to continue showing faith in Podziemski, particularly while Curry remains out with his hamstring injury. He's proven over the second-half of the season that he can be an efficient scoring threat, having shot 46.3% from the floor and 41.7% from 3-point range in 26 regular season games after the trade for Jimmy Butler.
A combination of better shot-selection and general regression to the mean should see Podziemski improve his scoring output over the remainder of the playoffs, something the Warriors will desperately need without Curry in the lineup.