Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski stood up to Draymond Green after the veteran made a bad play in practice.
It took a while for Brandin Podziemski, the 19th overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft, to cement his place in the Golden State Warriors rotation. Podziemski, who was recently elevated into the starting lineup, has been a godsend for a Warriors team in need of more playmaking, shooting, and all-around skill. But it’s the rookie’s personality, more than anything, that has endeared him to the team’s veteran core, with Draymond Green revealing one instance where the 20-year old showed an elite mindset early on in his professional career.
Speaking to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, Green recalled how Podziemski, who was playing with the Warriors veteran on the second unit team during practice back in October, yelled at him for turning the ball over, costing them a scrimmage game.
“We can’t have a turnover for game! You cannot turn the ball over for game” Podziemski told Green, per The Athletic, via Tristi Rodriguez of Yahoo Sports.
That was a moment that took some moxie from a 20-year old kid who, to that point, hadn’t played in an NBA game. Draymond Green’s resume is as decorated as it gets, but Brandin Podziemski still decided to call him out and hold him accountable — a sign of a natural leader and a player with a winning mentality. The Warriors certainly made the best decision by picking him with the 19th pick of the 2023 NBA Draft.
And for a rookie to hold Green, someone who has locker room cachet, accountable? That is not something that usually happens. But the Warriors veteran admired Podziemski for doing so, for as long as he continues to be vocal about these matters moving forward.
“I was like, ‘OK, cool, you got it. No problem. Here we are playing a pickup 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,’” Green told Slater.
Now, Brandin Podziemski has become one of the Warriors’ most important players. But when you ask Draymond Green, he certainly would have foreseen a rapid ascent for the 20-year old guard given how well he carries himself despite his inexperience.
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