Podziemski motivated to achieve even more
First-team All-Rookie choice working hard to build on breakout
Brandin Podziemski played 74 games and 1,968 minutes for the Golden State Warriors, necessitating directly after the season, per organizational recommendation, two weeks’ rest. Turned restlessness. “He’s like a caged animal,” said his father, John, among those he visited after his rookie season in his native Milwaukee. “He just wanted to get to the court. … He’s already excited for the upcoming season.”
Podziemski is eager to build on a rookie season that was recognized Monday with All-Rookie honors. The 21-year-old was voted to the NBA’s first team, joining San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren, Charlotte Hornets wing Brandon Miller and Miami Heat wing Jaime Jaquez Jr.
A Santa Clara alum, Podziemski averaged 9.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists as the 19th overall pick in the 2023 draft. He shot 45.4% from the floor, including 38.5% from 3point range. He also led the NBA with 38 charges drawn.
As a result, Podziemski was awarded 64 of 99 possible firstteam votes from a panel of NBA journalists and broadcasters. Wembanyama and Holmgren were unanimous selections. Miller received 97 first-place votes and Jaquez 89.
“In the offseason, you think about your journey and where you came from, what steps it took to get here,” Podziemski said during a news conference Monday.
“Ending up on first-team AllRookie, it’s a credit to my work ethic but also to my teammates and the coaches and the front office for providing the opportunity,” he added. “It means a lot. It’s something I had on the goal list of mine coming into the year. I got to check that box. It’s pretty cool because you only get to be a rookie one time.”
As critical for Podziemski as his connective offensive approach or pesky defensive presence at the point of attack is the unwavering confidence that he brought with him to Golden
State, where rookies before him didn’t often play. He too didn’t much play as a freshman at Illinois, breaking out in 2022-23 after transferring to Santa Clara.
He averaged 19.9 points and 8.8 rebounds for the Broncos, shooting 48.3% from the field, 43.8% from deep and proving more NBA prospect with seemingly each successive game.
“This year, I proved it doesn’t matter where you come from,” he said in reference to Santa Clara’s status as a mid-major Division I program.
Podziemski cracked Golden State’s rotation in relative short order, playing 39 minutes in the 12th game of the season — a 104-101 home loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves during which Stephen Curry didn’t play and Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were ejected — and becoming a mainstay from that point forward.
Offensively, his skill set fits seamlessly in the Warriors’ game: He’s a heady passer and cutter who can spot up and shoot, attack closeouts and operate as a secondary ballhandler. Defensively, his competitiveness was buoyed by his penchant for absorbing punishment and competing on the boards.
His overall impact is perhaps best reflected in his team-high plus-minus of 264.
Among his highlights: a 23-point, seven-rebound, five-assist showing in that first big night against Minnesota; a 23-point, 10-rebound outing in Milwaukee against the Bucks in January attended by more than 300 friends, family members and members of his hometown community; a 12-point, 14-assist, seven-rebound, zero-turnover display on the road in February against the Memphis Grizzlies; a 25point, seven-rebound, eight-assist performance at home in February against the Los Angeles Clippers.
“He got those opportunities and took advantage of them,” his father said. “Every year should be something where you keep evolving, you keep getting better, you keep working on what didn’t work, what does work, and just keep jelling with the team.”
His two-week break — and rookie season — now behind him, Podziemski is back in the Bay Area training regularly at Chase Center. He said he’s aiming to improve athletically while expanding his repertoire of shots and finishes.
He’s set to represent the Warriors in NBA Summer League, in which he’ll be tasked with leading their team. He wants at some point to be the NBA’s Most Improved Player and eventually, an All-Star, he said Monday.
“Basketball is his life,” said his mother, Barb West.
Making the NBA AllRookie second team were Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II, Houston Rockets guard Amen Thompson, Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace and Memphis Grizzlies forward GG Jackson.
Warriors center Trayce Jackson-Davis (7.9 points, 5 rebounds, 1.1 blocks) received 42 second-place votes, tops for rookies who did not receive first- or second-team recognition.
“I know he’s going to use it as a chip on his shoulder for next year and I think that’s going to make him even better,” Podziemski said.