How Worried Should the Warriors Be About Podziemski?

On Monday night, the Golden State Warriors lost their third game of the season, falling to the Los Angeles Clippers, 102-99. It’s their second loss to the Clippers this season, with their only other loss coming against the still-undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers. All things considered, this season has been a massive success for the Warriors so far.

Not everything is going well for Golden State. Second-year guard Brandin Podziemski was made untouchable in trade talks over the summer after an excellent rookie season, but he hasn’t found the same success. So far this year, he is averaging only 7.8 points and is shooting a lowly 19.1 percent from 3-point range after making 38.5 percent of his shots last year.

In the loss against the Clippers, Podziemski played only 15 minutes and missed all four shots. He finished with only a single point and a turnover, but he did record five rebounds, which shows that he can still play a physical style of basketball.

Still, the Warriors need more from him if they are going to continue to win games.

“He’s not shooting the ball with much confidence right now. I think that’s obvious,” said Steve Kerr. “This is part of being in the NBA, an 82-game season. Everybody goes through stretches where you just don’t quite feel it. The way he shot it at the end of last year, all summer, watching him in camp, he’s a really good shooter. So he’ll find it. We’ve got to help him a little bit. But right now, he’s just not in rhythm, not shooting it with confidence.”

Podziemski was floated in trade rumors this summer, which allegedly shattered his confidence. Still, every promising young player can be used as a trade asset, so Podz should lean into being made untouchable by the Warriors. Instead, he seems to be unable to get out of his own head.