SAN FRANCISCO — Brandin Podziemski isn’t like most first-round picks in the NBA Draft. The Wisconsin native didn’t grow up dreaming of hearing his name called by the commissioner, nor did he envision playing in front of packed crowds in NBA arenas. Baseball was his sport of choice growing up and where he thought his future would be.
Until about seven years ago.
The game didn’t match the teenager’s energy level, so the southpaw turned to something else: basketball. But the game wasn’t love at first sight or a crush on the Warriors’ No. 19 pick in Thursday night’s draft.
“I learned basketball and I didn’t really like it at first,” Podziemski said Friday after his introductory press conference at Chase Center. “And then over time, I continued to love him. The moment I had was when I had to work for basketball every day to be where I am.
“Baseball, I could just pick it up once in a while and be good. My passion for basketball really comes from there.
Podziemski, who turns 21 at the end of February, fell in love with the work. He wants to be challenged, something his parents taught him from the start. They never let him win anything, which he thanks them for now. The transition to basketball wasn’t an overnight revelation, but the results show he made the right choice.
His rise turned into Podziemski being named Mr. Basketball of Wisconsin during a season where he averaged 35.1 points, 10.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 4.0 steals per game for the St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy. Recruiting Points dubbed him a four-star prospect, and the three-time all-state draft picked Illinois over its share of other marquee college programs.
Again, the switch was the right move for Podziemski. An expected challenge has turned into a golden opportunity, and he sees him facing adversity in basketball as an advantage for him to enter the NBA.
Illinois went 23-10 in Podziemski’s freshman year and tied for the regular season Big Ten title. But Podziemski was mostly a spectator, appearing in 16 games and playing 4.3 minutes per game. The move to Santa Clara changed everything, giving basketball an early home here in the Bay Area.
“I think it was all about opportunity and the confidence my coaches gave me,” Podziemski said. “I think I was the same player I was at Illinois, it was just in a different light because of the opportunity. But you know, in the future, I’ll be playing alongside the top two world shooters, so I can’t wait.
In his first game with the Broncos, Podziemski dropped 30 points, nine rebounds and five steals in a win over Eastern Washington. Three nights later, he followed that performance with 34 points, 11 rebounds and six 3-pointers to help beat Georgia Southern. Podziemski finished his one and only season in Santa Clara as West Coast Conference Newcomer of the Year, WCC Co-Player of the Year with an average of 19.9 points, leading the conference with 8.8 rebounds per game and knocking down 43.8% of his shots. long range.
He was named WCC Player of the Week a school record four times.
Although Podziemski returned to the game less than a decade ago, he shapes his game after Manu Ginobili more for his winning mentality than his skills, and he wants Warriors fans to know that what he brings to the field is more than a numbers game.
“I’m a competitor and I think I bring things that don’t show up in the box score,” Podziemski said. “It’s being able to take charge, to be a great teammate, to make the extra pass, to dive for the ball – I think of all those kinds of things.
“Coach Kerr and his team are looking for competitors willing to relieve Steph [Curry] and Clay [Thompson] and guys like that and I think that’s what I’m here to do, and I think that’s how I’m going to take off as a rookie.
Basketball is still relatively new to Podziemski. This isn’t a prospect who’s been groomed from the cradle and given a ball to dribble down the street. This does not mean that he lacks confidence and faith in himself. He oozes it from his curls with his kicks.
Santa Clara head coach Herb Sendek has unlocked that for Podziemski, and Kerr may have to let him go, but never take the mentality out of his rookie.
Podziemski’s first order of business is summer league, which he intends to play as much as the staff allows, both in Sacramento and Las Vegas. Stats weren’t on his mind when asked about the summer league. Winning was.
“Yeah, I want to go 8-0 in summer league – three in Sacramento and five in Vegas,” he said. “It’s important for us, just to experience winning, just to experience winning, because I think that’s what this program is about and this culture is all about. “
The last question I asked Podziemski was to choose a part of his game that the outside doesn’t know about apart from his ability to shoot and score. His response was not to rebound, pass or debunk doubters of his defense.
Instead, he looked within, an important part of his makeup that warriors couldn’t ignore.
“My IQ, my feeling, my impact on winning on top of those areas,” Podziemski said. “It’s something that is often overlooked. Whatever team I’ve been on, we win. I mean, the numbers don’t lie.
“And you can say whatever you want. If I’m not athletic, if I can’t play defense, it doesn’t matter. My teams end up winning one way or another. I think it’s just a testament to my leadership skills, the way I play and I play the right way.
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