The Golden State Warriors wanted it to work.
In fact, they spent their entire summer executing a plan that depended on it. Each and every step of the way, Mike Dunleavy and the Warriors' front office built a house of cards balanced on this one point: Brandin Podziemski could be the backup point guard.
The Warriors waved goodbye to Chris Paul this summer, declining his lucrative $30 million team option but reportedly not seriously negotiating a smaller deal to keep the future Hall of Fame point guard in town to back up that other future Hall of Fame point guard, Stephen Curry.
The Warriors didn't sign another backup point guard, either, not even bringing back Cory Joseph on the veteran's minimum. They watched proven point guards like Tyus Jones, Monte Morris and Spencer Dinwiddie sign with other West rivals for minimum deals. Nothing for the Warriors.
Instead, they built up secondary ball-handlers and shooters and decision-makers and defenders to fill in the middle of the lineup, trusting in second-year guard Brandin Podziemski to take over the reigns. They believed in him so much they wouldn't even begin to consider including him in trades for Paul George or Lauri Markkanen. When Podziemski started talking about himself as a future All-Star, it was all support and confidence coming from the organization.
Brandin Podziemski wasn't up to the task
Then the season started, and Podziemski turned a fast start into a cold and concerning first third of the season. He missed a lot of shots, yes, but more worrisome was his lack of composure running the second unit offense. Despite a much larger role in the offense, his assist percentage stayed the same, and as is the case so often with young players he wasn't able to turn a surprisingly strong rookie performance into a second-year leap. In every way other than shooting, Podz flatlined.
As a shooter, Podziemski was supposed to show his true colors, taking the place of Klay Thompson in the lineup and getting up 8-10 triples a game. Instead, Podziemski is averaging just 3.7 3-pointers per game and shooting just 24.7 percent on those attempts. Of all 189 players in the NBA this season who average at least 3.5 3-point attempts per game, Podziemski ranks 187; only rookie Ja'Kobe Walter and Joel Embiid have shot worse than he has.
Stephen Curry is still firmly in his prime. Draymond Green is still a Top-10 defender in the league, if not higher, and Andrew Wiggins is having a significant bounceback season. The window for Curry is only going to be open for so long, and the Warriors have to maximize every moment. They know this; it's why they went after George and Markkanen this summer and called about a number of other stars.
Watching Podziemski struggle as he reaches for stardom and falls short of reliable, the front office could wait no longer. Armed with De'Anthony Melton's one-year contract set to become trade-eligible on December 15th, the Warriors went out and found a backup point guard they could rely on.
The Warriors traded for Dennis Schroder
Enter Dennis Schroder, the Brooklyn Nets' starting point guard who is having one of the best seasons of his career at age 31. He was essentially salary dumped at last year's trade deadline by the Toronto Raptors, and since arriving in Brooklyn has balled out as a shooter, scorer and playmaker.
Schroder is averaging 18.4 points and 6.6 assists per game, adding 2.5 triples per game on strong 38.7 shooting; that's 6.5 attempts per game, nearly double what Podziemski is getting up. Schroder is also getting to the line, having one of his best scoring seasons from inside the arc and has been a major part of the Nets upsetting a number of teams they were supposed to lose to, including when he dropped 31 points in a win over the Warriors.
If the Warriors thought Podziemski was ready to take on the mantle of backup point guard they would have stood firm. Clearly, though, his poor play to start the season changed their minds, from the belief of the summer to their vote of no-confidence in trading for Schroder as soon as it was possible to do so.
This doesn't mean they have lost faith in him for the long-haul; perhaps he needs to be deployed in a different role, or perhaps he will be moved in a trade. Whatever happens, the Warriors made it clear they didn't think he was up to the task for this season. When you have one of the 10-best players of all time still playing at an All-NBA level, you need to push for every win.
Podziemski wasn't able to do that, so the Warriors replaced him.