Brandin Podziemski burst onto the scene for the Golden State Warriors as a key piece for their future and Steve Kerr placed tremendous faith in him. He was highly valued among the fan base, too. However, three years into his career, Podziemski has yet to make a significant leap. While that has seen Golden State’s supporters change tune on Podziemski, Kerr remains high on Podziemski’s value to the team.
Many fans have opposed Podziemski being a top-six, top-seven rotation player this season. His production has marginally improved with 12.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists, while shooting 44.7%, including a career-low 36.2% from 3-point range. In the meantime, Podziemski has been confident that he can take over the keys from Steph Curry and express the desire to be even better than the two-time MVP.
These statements haven’t been backed by his performances, further infuriating the Warriors fan base every time he underperforms. On Wednesday, during an appearance on Willard & Dubs show, Kerr was asked a straightforward question on what he sees in Podziemski that keeps him invested in the third-year guard. Kerr explained his favoritism, despite fan outrage, saying:
“Well, he’s got a really good feel for the game. When he’s off the ball, he’s one of the best defensive players we have on our team. And I know people may not see that, but you know, it’s the anticipation, it’s playing on the weak side. It’s weak side help; it’s being disruptive, it’s taking charges.
“He’s one of our best rebounders. Two straight 15-rebound games last week. And offensively, you know, he’s still finding his ways. I mean, I talk about it all the time publicly. But getting off the ball early in a possession and then getting it back, he generates a lot of shots for us.
“Running through the catch, generating closeouts, and then all of a sudden we’re attacking 5 on 4. He does that better than most of our guys. And for us to generate good shots, he’s gotta be out there on the floor more often than not.”
Brandin Podziemski has built a reputation for his hustle plays, but the lack of execution on the offensive end can be frustrating for fans. Steve Kerr is willing to give him more time to find his identity on that end of the floor. With not many young players consistently contributing to the team, it makes sense that Kerr would prefer to give Podziesmki reps and make him integral to the core.
Steve Kerr defends the reason for not overplaying young players on the Warriors
Warriors fans have raised several complaints against Steve Kerr since their 2022 championship run. Before pointing out his bias towards Brandin Podziemski, some fans were frustrated over the lack of playing time for players like Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody.
Kuminga and Moody joined the team in the 2021 draft. Despite notable performances, they were snubbed for rotation minutes for several years. Kerr preferred playing experienced players over them. According to the four-time championship-winning coach, he had a compelling reason to stick to his ways.
He believes it was difficult to play 19-year-olds on championship teams. Kerr said it’s different when these players are on lottery teams where they can showcase their talent and develop on the court. However, he rejected the idea that the development wasn’t happening behind the scenes.
Steve Kerr cited the successes of Moses Moody, who is now a starter, Gui Santos, who is filling in for Jimmy Butler and Brandin Podziemski, who features prominently in the rotation to defend the Warriors’ player development.
