Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green is no stranger to making bold statements, but his latest comments (subscription required), this time surrounding third-year prospect Brandin Podziemski, should excite Warriors fans. Green believes that Podziemski will be ready to carry the torch for the Warriors after Stephen Curry eventually retires.
That could mean several things, one being that he will literally replace Curry at guard, while a more optimistic interpretation would be that Podziemski has the potential to be a star. I don’t think I’m out of line in saying that the Warriors certainly hope so.
The Warriors need Brandin Podziemski to prove Draymond Green right
After all, they have one of the oldest teams in the NBA, with Curry, Green, and Jimmy Butler all over the age of 35, and new addition Al Horford, a spry 39-year-old entering year 18.
As a result, the Warriors have a tiny window left to compete with this team, and with Curry being 37 years old, he may only play a couple more seasons.
That could mean a full-scale rebuild, and those can be like pulling teeth with rusty pliers. However, if Podziemski really has star potential, then that would be a huge deal for the Warriors.
What is Brandin Podziemski’s ceiling with the Warriors?
Golden State, despite having built a dynasty that won four championships in eight seasons and went to two additional NBA Finals, hasn’t done a great job of drafting in recent years. The Warriors had arguably the biggest bust of the last 10 years when they selected James Wiseman second overall.
He only lasted two and a half seasons in Golden State before being dumped on the Detroit Pistons. Meanwhile, Jonathan Kuminga is still a polarizing player that the Warriors don’t even seem to want long-term.
All that is to say that Golden State needs Potempski to pan out to help extend their window of contention.
He performed relatively well last season, averaging 11.7 points while shooting 37.2% from three on 4.2 attempts per game. He also averaged 5.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 26.8 minutes.
Those are perfectly fine numbers in a vacuum but don’t hint at future stardom. Instead, he can simply be a bridge to the era post Curry, meaning that he could be a starter and provide the Warriors continuity as they begin a potential rebuild.
Overall, the Warriors shouldn’t expect Podziemski to turn into a star. However, if he can be an above-average starter for them, then he’d make an inevitable rebuild a little easier for the Warriors.
