Brandin Podziemski created some controversy in his comments prior to the season, with that proving problematic for the Golden State Warriors amid some apparent internal frustration less than a week ago.
Yet since a blowout loss to the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder that elicited some rumblings within the locker room, the Warriors have won three-straight games and might have just stumbled into the perfect sixth-man role for Podziemski who had started the season in underwhelming fashion.
Brandin Podziemki could become Warriors' designated sixth-man
While 56th overall pick Will Richard has sensationally earned a starting role over Podziemski in recent games, the third-year guard is still playing significant minutes and has more importantly been closing halves/games for Steve Kerr.
Across the past four games since his last start, Podziemski has averaged 11.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.5 steals in 26.3 minutes per game, shooting 47.1% from the floor and 50% from 3-point range.
Podziemski is also averaging just 0.8 turnovers during this period, with these efficient numbers suggesting he could be best suited for a permanent sixth-man role rather than being yanked in and out of the starting lineup as was taking place over the first 10 games of the campaign.
Sunday's win over the New Orleans Pelicans provided the perfect blueprint for Podziemski's production as a sixth-man playing heavy minutes off the bench. The 22-year-old saw nearly 26 minutes in the blowout 124-106 victory, finishing as Golden State's second-leading scorer with 19 points, three rebounds and three assists on 8-of-13 shooting from the floor and 3-of-7 from 3-point range.
The Warriors do need more shooting in their starting lineup, which is exactly why Richard and Moody have moved into starting roles given they rank second and third in 3-point percentage at 43.6% and 41.9% respectively to start the season.
Podziemski isn't the sharpshooter that Moody is, and he's certainly not winning back that role over the 23-year-old anytime soon after a 32-point explosion against the Pelicans, but if anything his skillset is actually suited for a backup guard role where he can handle the ball a little bit, be a secondary play-maker, and still be a threat as an off-ball shooter.
Perhaps most importantly, it might sub-consciously take some of the pressure off Podziemski and lessen the expectation on him among fans. Even if he's still playing a significant role, the difference between 'starter' and 'reserve' does bring a certain stigma that alters what we think a player should be producing.
There's still a chance that Podziemski wins a starting spot back off Richard at some point as the season progresses, but for the meantime his current role is actually one that's proving succesful and should be persisted with.