The Golden State Warriors aren’t excatly a young team. They’ve failed to make the most of youngins like Jordan Poole or James Wiseman, which is why they needed to find someone who could contribute right away to their pursuit of another NBA title.
Finding NBA-ready rookies is never easy, especially when you pick outside of the lottery like the Warriors usually do. Also, finding a guy for their system might be easier said than done.
But now that most of the attention will obviously center on Stephen Curry or Chris Paul, Steve Kerr has plenty of confidence in this year’s first-round pick, Brandin Podziemski.
Steve Kerr Raves About Brandin Podziemski
“We were excited that he was available,” Kerr said on the Pull Up! podcast. “There were a couple of guys we were really interested in knowing who might be available when we picked, and he was one of them. So we were thrilled.”
“The reason we were excited is he’s got a really good set of tools,” the coach continued. “He can dribble, pass, shoot. He’s unafraid. He’s got a good size. He can build a lot of momentum going to the hoop. He’s got a nice float game. He shot 43.8% from three last year at Santa Clara, and he averaged 8.5 rebounds per game which is almost unheard of for a guard. So, a lot of great numbers—numbers that translate well, too.”
“There are certain numbers that usually translate, and rebounding is one of them that shows a real knack for the ball and anticipating plays. We like Brandin’s skill set, and also just his makeup and aggressiveness. We think he’s got a chance to be a really good player,” concluded Kerr.
Of course, we’ve seen the Dubs pull the plug early on their rookies if they don’t hit the ground running, so the pressure will be on him to deliver right out of the gate.