Brandin Podziemski‘s rise since the Jimmy Butler trade is a welcome development for the Golden State Warriors.
Podziemski had just scored 28 and 26 points, respectively, in back-to-back big nights against the Los Angeles Lakers and the Denver Nuggets. The second-year guard revealed the secret sauce to his recent scoring surge.
“I talked to some vets, not on our team, and they told me that the whole goal when you want to be the best you can be, it’s really feeling like you play in high school,” Podziemski told reporters after the Warriors beat the Nuggets 118-104 on Friday. “Because everybody is the best player on their high school team and when you can get to that spot mentally where you feel like you’re in high school again, everything’s just free flowing.
“That’s what you see the best [players] do. All the All-Stars, all the Hall of Fame guys, they play like they did in high school. Their tapes from high school to the NBA almost mirror each other. And so when you get to that level mentally and then obviously all the work you put in with it just sets you up for success.”
Podziemski was named Wisconsin Mr. Basketball during his senior year at St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy, averaging 35.1 points, 10 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and four steals per game.
The Warriors lucked on Podziemski when teams let him slide to No. 19 in the 2023 NBA draft.
‘I Want To Be a Three-Level Scorer’
Podziemski was in the zone against the Nuggets, shooting 10-of-16 from the floor, including 4-of-8 from the 3-point line.
The brash 6-foot-4 guard did not only take the ball to the rim or hit the outside shot, but he also did the damage in between, making 5-of-7 shots from the midrange.
“That’s what I worked on the majority of the summer,” Podziemski revealed. “Obviously, you’re seeing a little bit more now than early in the season just because I was shooting so poorly. Teams were sagging off so I didn’t really have those opportunities and now guys got to go over the ball screens … it’s open all day.
“So, I’m just taking another step. I want to be a three-level scorer.”
The Biggest Beneficiary of Jimmy Butler Trade
Golden State coach Steve Kerr isn’t surprised by Podziemski’s rise. He’s seen his young guard take another leap under Butler’s mentorship.
“Brandon is probably the biggest beneficiary of the Jimmy trade,” Kerr told reporters. “They have a really good connection together. Jimmy makes everybody better but he’s especially making Brandon better.”
Before the Butler trade, Podziemski averaged 9.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 0.9 steals while shooting 42.2% from the field and 32.1% from the 3-point line in 39 games. Podziemski’s production jumped in the 20 games that he played with Butler since the trade.
Podziemski averaged 15.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.3 steals while shooting 46.7% from the field and 42.3% from the 3-point line.
“He’s just playing with the confidence that comes with a second-year starting, playing 30-plus minutes every night,” Kerr said of Podziemski. “The shots not always going to be there but it’s going to be consistent over time. The way he’s playin
