Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski isn’t your typical rookie.
That was on full display during a Golden State practice in October—just a few weeks into Podziemski’s professional basketball career—when he challenged outspoken veteran Draymond Green.
Green, working his way back from an ankle injury at the time, committed a turnover in practice that cost him and Podziemski’s unit the game in a team scrimmage.
Podziemski raised his voice at the veteran, criticizing him for the ill-timed turnover.
“I was like, ‘OK, cool, you got it. No problem,'” Green said in an interview with The Athletic’s Anthony Slater. “Here we are playing a pick-up game, a game to get me ready and he’s yelling at me. 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.'”
Selected by Golden State with the No. 19 pick in June, Podziemski quickly found a spot in coach Steve Kerr’s rotation, a rarity for a Golden State rookie.
By December, Podziemski was playing significant minutes. And in the Warriors’ final game before the All-Star break, Podziemski started over Klay Thompson, who came off the bench for the first time since 2011-12.
Riding his unprecedented rookie confidence, Podziemski is averaging 9.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 47 games this season.
