The Warriors have essentially guaranteed a spot for themselves in the play-in tournament, barring any unlikely miracles in which the Golden State loses all its remaining games and the Pelicans win all theirs.
Stephen Curry, who has missed the last 21 games due to suffering from runner’s knee syndrome, is expected to be back in action by the end of March. The Warriors have been 5-16 over this stretch.
While critics might perceive this as a detrimental stretch for the team’s championship ambitions, their head coach, Steve Kerr, thinks this time has benefited the young point guard, Brandin Podziemski.
“It’s a great experience for Brandin. 20-games without Steph. I think where he is in his career, he’s proven he can help drive winning. I think that’s been apparent. He does a lot of things that can help drive winning,” said Kerr during a press conference before their loss to the Hawks last night.
“He is, in my mind, really exploring how good he can become and what type of player he wants to become. I think you’ve seen lots of hiccups along the way where he’s trying things that aren’t working, but playing without Steph for 20 games is going to expose some of that.”
“If he’s playing off Steph, off of the ball, if he’s playing more of a secondary ball-handler role, he’s really good. He does a lot of things that other players don’t do. He’s got a knack. When he tries to be too on ball, you see him get into some trouble.”
“You’re seeing the works, and this is all part of being a young player. I think for him, he has to sort through all of that, and the idea of what it means to be on a team.”
Kerr emphasized the need for cherishing the phase of Podziemski’s career where he is exploring his own game while trying to do things that the team needs him to do to win, which he may not enjoy personally.
Podziemski, over the last 21 games, has averaged 14.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 4.0 assists while shooting 42.0% from the field and 32.0% from the three-point line.
This is clearly an improvement from the 9.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.9 assists that he averaged in the first 50 games of the season with Curry. The Warriors’ head coach concluded by calling this a “complex and interesting” time in Podziemski’s career.
The team is now expecting to reevaluate Curry’s situation after they return home on Tuesday, ahead of their Wednesday-night game against the Nets. It will be interesting to see how playing off-ball after Curry’s return will impact the 23-year-old guard’s output in the game.
That will truly be a test of whether Curry’s absence has actually helped Podziemski or not, since increased usage often results in improved numbers, but the art of precision in execution is something that doesn’t show up on the box score.
