Brandin Podziemski’s status remains one of the key questions hanging over the Warriors as they get set for Friday’s home opener against Memphis.
Golden State has listed the 23-year-old starting shooting guard as questionable because of lower back soreness. Podziemski sat out Wednesday’s season-opening loss to the Lakers, though Steve Kerr said before that game that he was "hopeful" Podz would play against the Grizzlies.
Charles Bassey is also questionable after missing Wednesday with knee tendinitis.
Memphis has a pair of injury updates of its own. Cedric Coward is doubtful with a wrist sprain, and Isaiah Stewart is questionable because of an ankle sprain.
The Warriors were hammered by the Lakers for plenty of reasons, and it’s fair to say Podziemski or Bassey alone probably wouldn’t have flipped the result. Still, both could have helped make things more manageable, especially with Golden State down to just 10 active players on standard contracts while Kristaps Porzingis, Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody remain out indefinitely.
De’Anthony Melton stepped into Podziemski’s spot in the starting five and didn’t score in 21 minutes. And while Walker Kessler’s 12-for-12 shooting, 10-dunk night against the Warriors wasn’t all on the centers, Bassey’s presence would at least have given Golden State another body, more size and a rim-protecting option.
Memphis doesn’t bring the same kind of on-ball pressure the Lakers do. Ty Jerome’s 45-point performance in the Grizzlies’ season-opening win showed what they can do offensively, but he’s not the sort of driver who tears apart a defense the way Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves did.
Even so, the Grizzlies just put up 123 points against the Jazz, which is a reminder that they can light up a defense if the coverage isn’t tight and connected.
So Friday should tell a lot about where the Warriors stand on that end. If they don’t look markedly better against Memphis, the questions around their defense only get louder. Having Podziemski and Bassey available would only help.
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