Podz overcoming rookie wall could determine how far Warriors go...

Podz overcoming rookie wall could determine how far Warriors go

SAN FRANCISCO: Warriors rookie Brandin Podziemski has been one of the team’s few certainties throughout a season marred by

uncertainty and inconsistency.

Every time the 20-year-old on the floor, he is a ball of energy, whether he is starting or coming off the bench. He’s on the floor, diving

for dropped balls, weaving through traffic to reach the basket, or going up against bigger players to get rebounds.

In just about every fashion, the youngster provides the Warriors with a much-needed infusion of positivity.

Yet recently, Podziemski seems to have hit the proverbial rookie wall.

The road loss a week ago against the Memphis Grizzlies was his 34th NBA game, with more than half of the 2023-24 season

remaining. That’s two more games than he played in college for Santa Clara during the 2022-23 season.

Podziemski’s numbers may have decreased slightly as a result, but Warriors coach Steve Kerr

doesn’t seem to be too concerned about it.

Following practice on Tuesday, Kerr remarked, “It seemed like a couple weeks ago on our homestand, the last few games, he looked a

little tired to me.” “After that, we went on a road trip, and upon returning home, he had the big game in Milwaukee. He is an extremely

vivacious player. Loves the game, gym rat.”

Podziemski, the No. 19 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, was completely inactive for one game this season and did not participate in

five of Golden State’s first six games.

But before his numbers started to decline recently, Podziemski had been one of the most reliable and effective players for the Warriors

ever since he settled into the starting lineup.

With almost 23 minutes of playing time per game through his first 29 games, Podziemski was averaging 9.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and

3.2 assists while shooting 47.7 percent from the field.

But lately, the rookie’s shooting accuracy has declined.

Podziemski’s shots aren’t falling as often as they did earlier in the season, despite the fact that he equaled his season high of 23 points

and recorded his third career double-double against the Bucks on January 13 in Milwaukee, not far from his birthplace.

If you take away the Warriors guard’s performance against the Bucks (10 of 14 shooting), he is shooting less than 25% (9 of 37) since

his blazing start. During that period, he has played for an average of about five more minutes,

but the output hasn’t increased.

Heading into Wednesday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons at Chase Center, Podziemski has shot just 5 of 25 overall and 1 of 14 on 3-

pointers over his previous three games. Frequently on the positive side of things earlier in the season, he was a team-low minus-31

against the New Orleans Pelicans on Jan. 10 and has finished with plus production

in just two of Golden State’s previous nine games.

Tuesday, Podziemski was not made available to the media, so Kerr was more than eager to discuss what he has observed thus far.

“He’s the guy who plays with a lot of energy and force and understands the game,” Kerr remarked. “Observing his growth this year has been enjoyable.”

The real test for Podziemski, who has progressed thus far without much of a hitch, will come in the coming months as he plays a

greater percentage of games than he has in any previous season.

The extent to which the Warriors are able to advance may depend on how he manages that stretch.