As the Golden State Warriors enter a potentially disastrous Game 7 in their first-round matchup against the Houston Rockets, they now need one player to step up in order to save their season: Brandin Podziemski.
Although the Warriors' star players, Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler, have both played well this series, averaging 24.3 and 18 points respectively, the team has not gotten enough consistent production out of its other scorers to close out this series as of yet.
With abysmal performances in Games 5 and 6, Golden State must now go to Houston to play in a win-or-go-home matchup, and they will need a big performance from Podziemski in order to advance to the second round.
Brandin Podziemski has oscillated between monstrous and ineffective
Throughout the course of this series, the Warriors have consistently looked for a third contributor that can help them surmount the staunch Houston defense.
Buddy Hield, who has been notoriously streaky throughout this season, had great in Games 3 and 4, propelling Golden State to a pair of wins with 17 and 15 points, respectively. However, in Game 6, Hield returned to his inefficient ways, going scoreless and shooting zero-for-four from 3-point range in only 16 minutes.
Rookie center Quinten Post, meanwhile, has shown flashes of advancement in his defensive game in this series but has looked largely tentative on offense, scoring in double digits only twice in the series and shooting 30.8% from 3-point range.
Podziemski, who stepped into the Warriors' starting shooting guard role in the latter portion of the season, has also been inconsistent. After dealing with a food-related illness that sidelined him for much of Game 2, Podziemski returned for Game 3 still looking shaky, scoring only 10 points on nine shots from the floor.
In Game 4 however, Podziemski found the playoff form that Golden State needed him to, posting 26 points, five rebounds and five assists and propelling his team to massive victory that put them up 3-1 in the series.
In Games 5 and 6, Podziemski has struggled yet again, scoring only 18 points combined between the two games and thrusting the offensive onus back onto Curry and Butler.
With how closely and effectively Houston's on-ball defenders have hindered Curry's magnificent 3-point shot, the Warriors desperately need another perimeter shooter to step up, and Podziemski fits that bill.
In his Game 4 performance, Podziemski shot 6-for-11 from 3-point range, and, with their season on the line, his team will need a similar performance to overcome the intensity that the Rockets are sure to bring.
On the other hand, if none of the Warriors' peripheral scorers are able to perform yet again, the team could be waving goodbye to their season in exceedingly disappointing fashion.