Brandin Podziemski didn’t arrive this season with much room for doubt.
Golden State gave him an extension that comes with an average salary of $22 million over five years, and that kind of deal demands more than energy and promise. It asks for real production. Through three games, Podziemski has started answering that bell, and he’s done it in a way that has already made the Warriors look a little smarter for paying him early.
He opened the year limited by lower back soreness, so the sample is tiny. Still, the early return is hard to ignore.
In three games, Podziemski has averaged 14.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists while shooting 44.4% from the field. He’s also taking more on-ball responsibility, with his field goal attempts up to 12 per game from 9.7 before he became a full-time starter in 2024-25 after the injuries to Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody.
The shooting has not been perfect. He’s connecting on just 31.3% of his 3s on similar volume to last season.
But the broader picture is encouraging, because the rest of his game is doing real work. Podziemski has stayed active on the glass, continued to put pressure on the defense, and given Stephen Curry another offensive partner who can keep possessions alive and create something when the ball swings his way.
The lineup numbers reflect that impact, even if it’s still early enough to be careful with them. Golden State has a 129.3 offensive rating when Curry and Podziemski share the floor.
With Podziemski on and Curry off, that drops to 122.2. With Curry on and Podziemski off, it falls all the way to 96.4.
That says something about Podziemski’s value, even if the Warriors’ thin bench and Steve Kerr’s rotation choices are part of the story too. More important is the bigger trend underneath it: Podziemski is handling more, producing more, and looking like a legitimate starter right now.
The long-term picture is still complicated. If Golden State ever lands a star-caliber, two-way guard next to Curry, Podziemski would likely slide back to the bench.
His defensive shortcomings make that hard to avoid. But for the moment, he has clearly beaten out De’Anthony Melton for the starting job, and he’s giving the Warriors the kind of all-around minutes that make his extension look much more defensible.
If he can keep moving toward 16 or 17 points a night while proving he can be a true offensive option behind Curry and Yaxel Lendeborg in the starting lineup, that would make the payday much easier to justify. For now, he’s trending in that direction.
In Other News...
Warriors Suddenly Face A Brutal Test Without Curry And Draymond
The Warriors head into their matchup with the Clippers already short-handed, and the timing stings after a strong showing against the Lakers. Stephen Curry and Draymond Green will both be out, with Curry dealing with a right knee injury and Green sidelined by a bilateral low back injury, leaving Golden State without its two most important veterans for a game that now looks a lot trickier.
Curry had just put up 31 points in the win over Los Angeles, while Green added nine assists in a performance that helped steady the group on both ends. Without them, the Warriors lose their top scoring threat and one of their best organizers, which puts even more pressure on the rest of the roster to carry the load against a Clippers team that will be ready to take advantage. [Read more 🡒]
Luka And The Lakers Just Humiliated A Warriors Rookie Who Talked Big
Yaxel Lendeborg had a rough night in the Warriors comeback win over the Lakers, the kind of game that can humble a rookie fast. The first-year forward finished with six points and five turnovers, and afterward he was candid about how much he still has to learn when defenses tighten and the game starts slipping away.
Stephen Curry, though, did not sound worried about the long view. He said he believes Lendeborg can bounce back from a performance like that, and for Golden State that matters as much as anything else, because the rookies next test will be less about proving he belongs and more about showing he can lean on his teammates when the pressure spikes. [Read more 🡒]
Steph Curry Had One Extra Message In That Luka Moment
Stephen Currys latest big night came with a little extra theater attached. The Warriors dug out of a 25-point hole to beat the Lakers 112-95 and even the season series at 1-1, with Curry pouring in 31 points and punctuating the comeback with a viral ankle-breaker against Luka Doncic, who still finished with 37 for Los Angeles.
Curry said the sequence carried more than just the usual bragging rights, and he also pointed to his motivation to back teammate Yaxel Lendeborg. It was the kind of postgame detail that gives a comeback win a little more texture, especially when it comes against a rival and includes a highlight that will keep circulating long after the final buzzer. [Read more 🡒]