Warriors’ Steph Curry gets unexpected criticism for new contract from NBA great…
With Klay Thompson now on the Dallas Mavericks, the Golden State Warriors are turning to a new backcourt partner for superstar Steph Curry—second-year guard Brandin Podziemski.
And the Warriors are already big believers in Podziemski’s potential.
“He was a revelation, to be quite honest,” Warriors owner Joe Lacob said of Podziemski on Thursday on ESPN. “Steve [Kerr] had troubles getting him off the floor. He had to have him on the floor he was so good. He does so many things well. He’s ultra confident, he’s got an NBA body, he can get wherever he wants. He obviously can shoot threes. He can drive, he can pass. What can’t he do?
“We’re really excited. We think we’ve got a future All-Star [in Podziemski]. We really do.”
Podziemski has had quite the rise in the early goings of his basketball career. He committed to Illinois for the 2021-22 campaign but didn’t carve out a role in coach Brand Underwood’s rotation, and transferred to Santa Clara the following year. Podziemski shined with the Broncos, averaging 19.9 points and 8.8 rebounds per game and was selected by Golden State with the No. 19 pick in 2023.
From the beginning, Podziemski was a sponge in the Warriors’ facility, soaking up everything he could learn from Curry, Thompson and others. He wasn’t in Kerr’s rotation to start the year, but he scored 23 points the first time he received significant playing time, and never really looked back.
