SAN FRANCISCO – Brash and bold, with the right amount of confidence inside and out, it didn’t take much to admire the core of the future Hall of Famer.
Warriors rookie Brandin Podzemski brought a little bit of everything to his first NBA season, exceeding expectations every step of the way. No one believed that Podzemski, the No. 19 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, and fellow rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis, the No. 57 pick, would be key first-year contributors and pillars of Golden State's immediate future. Ta.
We've seen rookies take a backseat in Steve Kerr's rotation for years, but when Klay Thompson was sent to the bench for the first time under Kerr, it was Podzemski who stepped in as the Warriors' starting shooting guard. was. The Warriors took Jackson Davis with the penultimate pick, but he firmly established himself as the team's starting center in the final weeks of the season.
Podzemski believes he and Jackson-Davis each deserve All-Rookie honors, which will soon become a reality and make franchise history.
When asked if the All-Rookie team was important to him, Podzemski told NBC Sports Bay Area, “For me it is,” adding, “Me and Trayce both make the All-Rookie team, whether it's first or second. I think I should go in. I think so.” I should be in the first team.”
No Warriors player has been named to the All-Rookie team since Eric Paschall in 2019-20. What Podzemski thinks should happen when the All-Rookie team is announced hasn't happened with the Warriors in 43 years, when Joe Barry Carroll and Larry Smith were named to the All-Rookie first team.
The NBA did not introduce Second Team All-Rookie until the 1988-89 season.
Podzemski ranks eighth among rookies in minutes played per game (25.7), 10th in points (9.2), fifth in assists (3.7), sixth in rebounds (5.8) and third in 3-point percentage. (38.5%). The 6-foot-5 guard's 427 total rebounds led the Warriors and were the most by a Golden State rookie since Joe Smith in 1995-96.
“I don't know how they look at it, whether it's based on numbers, whether it's based on wins, whether it's impacting the team,” Podzemski said. “Overall, when you look at the top five rookies, I think I'm in that category based on what I bring to the table on a day-to-day basis, who's around me, what kind of team I'm playing on. How I use it.
“Because if I was in any other rookie's situation…I think I would still have higher numbers as well.”
Podzemski's impact on the Warriors is his calling card as an All-Rookie. “He's changing the narrative of what it means to be a Warriors rookie,” one NBA source told NBC Sports Bay Area during Podzemski's rookie year. The source also called Podzemski the Warriors' best rookie help defender since Draymond Green.
Podzemski led the NBA in charges tied with 38. His plus-264 plus/minus was second best among rookies behind Chet Holmgren. Podzemski had at least 10 points, five rebounds, and five assists in 17 games. Victor Wenbanyama played in 23 such matches and was the only rookie to rank higher than Podzemskiy. He also became the first rookie to record three consecutive double-doubles without a turnover since the statistic was first recorded in 1977-78.
Synergy Basketball ranks Podzemski's rookie year as the sixth-most impactful year of the past five seasons, and that list puts him as the third-most impactful rookie this season behind Holmgren and Wenbanyama. .
Podzemski was fifth in the rookie class with seven double-doubles, while Jackson Davis was sixth with six. Three of Podzemski's double-doubles came off the bench, while Jackson-Davis had four.
“Trace’s emergence from where he came from to where he is now is incredible,” Podzemski said. “So I think we should both be there.”
Jackson Davis was one of four rookies to record consecutive double-doubles this season. The other three were Wenbanyama, Holmgren and Podzemski. Once Jackson-Davis secured a spot in the starting lineup, the Warriors finished the regular season with a 9-2 record. And the Warriors ranked seventh in offensive rating (116.6), fifth in defensive rating (108.6) and sixth in net rating (7.9) during that span.
If Poziemski had the right to vote, he would add Wenbanyama, Holmgren, Brandon Miller and Jaime Jaquez Jr. to the All-Rookie first team.
Podzemski will find out in May whether his All-Rookie hopes for himself and Jackson Davis become a reality. Next season is already on Podzemski's mind. This includes one of his biggest individual honors as well as having a major role in his NBA All-Star weekend at Chase.
“I'm going to go out there and win the Most Improved Player award. That's what I'm looking forward to. I don't expect anything less from myself,” Poziemski said. .
“We have the Rising Stars Game here, so it will be pretty special to play in the Rising Stars Game again. It's all up to the personnel, but it's just a matter of competing in the skills challenge and 3-point contest with Steph. [Curry] Or something very nice since it's in the bay. ”
The numbers confirm Poziemski's self-assessment from his rookie year, and questioning his motivation for next season is an invitation he always accepts.
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