Last fall, the Golden State Warriors got an early indication that Brandin Podziemski was no average rookie, and it had nothing to do with his basketball skills. The 6-foot-5 guard, playing in one of his first scrimmages with the team, yelled at Draymond Green -- yes, Draymond Green -- for committing a turnover that cost them the game.
While some probably held their breath in anticipation of Green's reaction, the verbal lashing only elicited one feeling in the fiery 12-year veteran: Respect.
"Here we are playing a pick-up game, a game to get me ready [to return from injury] and he's yelling at me," Green told The Athletic. "That, to me, said a whole lot. I was like, 'You know what? No problem. But make sure you speak up like that all the time.'"
Not a problem.
Despite being just 21 years old and in his second NBA season, Podziemski has already become one of the vocal leaders on a team that features the venerated voices of Green and Stephen Curry. As his chestnut tendrils bob up and down above his headband while he dribbles down the floor, Podziemski confidently gesticulates and shouts toward teammates in order to get them organized. His role off the bench is partly why the Warriors have raced out to a 12-4 start, tied for the best record in the Western Conference.
"I think the biggest strides I've made is as a leader," Podziemski told CBS Sports. "Being a point guard on the floor, guys -- no matter their age or their status in the league -- kind of look at you on the floor to know what's going on. And so, learning a lot from Steph and seeing how he went about things, learning a lot from Chris Paul last year and how he went about it, helped me now."
From the way he dealt with Green early in his career, to the way he answers questions, to simply the way he stands -- goateed chin held high and shoulders assertively back -- Podziemski exudes confidence well beyond his years. Last season, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr even went as far as to call him "cocky," meant as the best compliment possible.
But Podziemski's self-assured nature doesn't mean he thinks he's perfect. Far from it. And a good example is the smile he prominently displays when his team accomplishes something brilliant on the court. Podziemski is using Invisalign treatment to straighten out the teeth that, to him, could use some improvement. He had braces as a young man but they didn't quite do the trick.
"With anything that you want done for yourself, or things that you're doing, when you feel good, you're more confident," Podziemski told CBS Sports in an interview set up by Invisalign. "And so, yeah, I'm a confident person, but there's always room for improvement."
Podziemski's smile may already be looking better, but he hasn't had much reason to display it on the court this season. An All-Rookie selection last year, he's shooting just 37% from the field and a jarring 18.5% from 3-point range, down 20% from his accuracy rate from deep as a rookie. Kerr has made headlines for playing 11- or 12-man rotations all season long, which means Podziemski's playing time has also been inconsistent. He's averaged 19 minutes over his last nine games, often playing in the 15-16 range. That's not much time to make an impact, especially if the shots aren't falling.
Coming in and going 0-for-5 on 3s, as he did in a recent win over the New Orleans Pelicans, would test the confidence of even the most self-assured veteran, let alone a guard in his early 20s. But Podziemski has found a way to impact winning despite his dreadful early shooting numbers. He's averaged 7.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists, and the Warriors are plus-60 in his minutes, which ranks fifth on the team.
"I think it's the maturity piece. You do what's best for the team," Podziemski told CBS Sports. "You obviously have personal, individual goals that you want to live up to, just coming off the season I had last year. But I think an immature player would be, 'It's all about me, me, me, and it only works if I'm successful.' And I think through team success, individual success is a lot easier."
While many players of his age and talent would be playing 30-plus minutes per night on a losing team, Podziemski needs to make an impact in whatever time Kerr decides to put him on the floor.
"Obviously, 15-16 minutes, you want to play more, and that's just a given in competitive nature," Podziemski said. "But if you're winning, you know, what is there to say? Right? You could argue that X, Y, Z should play more or play less, but if you're winning, I think that kind of takes care of a lot of problems, a lot of questions."
In terms of the poor shooting, Green recently issued a message to Podziemski through the media which essentially amounted to: who cares? To Green -- who has certainly struggled with his own jumper throughout his Hall of Fame career -- Podziemski does so many other important things on the court, that making shots is just a bonus and he needs to stop putting so much pressure on himself.
"If the one thing that you're struggling with is your shot, but you're doing five or six other things great, I think that will outweigh your shot," Green said of Podziemski's struggles. "And he should appreciate that, lean into that. If he leans into that, the shots will fall."
Podziemski has also received advice from the greatest shooter to ever live, who happens to be a couple lockers down from him. Curry pointed to his own preseason shooting woes, and that he's been in the league long enough to know that eventually he'll get on a hot streak and the average will settle where it's supposed to be. Podziemski has taken that to heart and is focusing on "the things I can control" in order to help the Warriors maintain one of the best records in the league.
And as far as the deep rotation, Podziemski sees it as a blessing in the long run, even if it means his minutes get cut down a bit.
"We all bring something different, and I think that's the difference between last year," Podziemski said. "Last year, there's only so many lineup combinations he could throw out there, given what players bring, what they need around them to be successful. And I think now we have so many diverse pieces that can be plugged and played in so many different lineups that it makes it easier."
