Steve Kerr believes that Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski took a big leap in his second NBA season.
He also believes that Podziemski isn’t done growing.
“I think this is a year where he takes another step,” Kerr told reporters Tuesday after Golden State’s first NBA training camp practice. “To be able to get through that crucible where you’re in the starting lineup, you’re in the playoffs, spotlight’s on you, you have a few bad shooting nights. Every player goes through that. He’s a tough guy and a tough player. I just think that he’s on a very natural progression to continue his improvement.”
Podziemski started in all but one of the Warriors’ 12 NBA playoff games last season, averaging 11.3 points per contest on just a 36.4 field-goal percentage.
His best performance came in Game 4 of the first round against the Houston Rockets, in which he scored 26 points on 9-of-18 shooting, including six 3-pointers. His big shooting performance was the difference as the Warriors pulled out a 109-106 win to take a 3-1 advantage in the series.
“One of the hardest lessons I ever learned as a player is when you have that bad night, you have to move on quickly. And you can’t let it get to you; you can’t let it carry over into the next day’s practice,” Kerr explained. “And if you’re a competitor, that can be really hard. BP’s a big-time competitor, he cares. So, I want to help him move forward after those inevitable tough nights.”
Kerr wants his third-year guard to work on remaining aggressive when shooting the ball. But there’s another specific area he wants Podziemski to focus on.
“Honestly, you’ll laugh, but leaving the refs alone,” Kerr said of the 22-year-old. “I mean, that’s important. It’s important to his energy, his mindset. It’s important for our team’s mindset. And taking that next step in just being more even-keeled.”
Podziemski echoed his coach’s assessment.
“I think [the] big thing to show another leap would be emotional maturity,” Podziemski told reporters Tuesday after being told what Kerr said. “Talking to the refs is included in that. But, just keeping a composure about myself so that my teammates see that.”
As the Warriors’ roster grows older, Kerr noted their veterans inevitably will miss some games. In those instances, the younger core, which includes Podziemski, will be relied on much more heavily.
“And those games that the veterans are out, how can we manufacture wins, and I think I’m going to be a focal part of that when they’re out,” Podziemski said, noting the importance of his emotional maturity. “So if they’re going to look to me and I’m out of whack emotionally, [it] becomes hard to win.”
After some slight struggles to begin the 2024-25 NBA season, Podziemski missed 12 games due to injury in late December into late January. But, he returned with some great shooting, averaging 14.9 points per game while shooting 46.9 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from beyond the arc in his final 34 games of the regular season.
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