Brandin Podziemski is beginning to make his playoff lore for Warriors

Playoff Podz is arriving.

The NBA postseason reveals truths that 82 regular season games can sometimes obscure. It’s where pretenders become contenders and where hyped prospects suddenly look like deer caught in championship headlights. But most importantly? It’s where legends are born.

And Dub Nation, I’m here to tell you that we’re witnessing something special unfolding right before our very eyes. Last name Podziemski, first name Brandin. Folks, after Golden State’s clutch 109-106 victory over Houston last night, the TNT broadcast featured NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal pausing to make sure he pronounced Podz last name correctly. THAT’S HOW YOU KNOW YOU MADE IT!

For the first half of the 2024-25 season, the whispers around Chase Center were getting louder: had the Warriors overestimated what they had in Podziemski? His shot wasn’t falling, his decision-making seemed hesitant, and Warriors Twitter was doing what Warriors Twitter does best – panicking in ALL CAPS.

The numbers were brutal. Through much of the season, Podz struggled with his efficiency, looking nothing like the sharp-shooting rookie who cracked the rotation so decisively last year. The sophomore slump had claimed another victim, and the vultures were circling.

Enter Draymond Green, who delivered what might go down as the most important five-minute media session of the season. “What he’s trying to work through is y’all’s fault,” Green told reporters, putting the media on blast. “He was trying too hard to be an All-Star instead of just taking the next step.”

Sometimes the harshest truths come from those who care the most. And something in that public defense seemed to flip a switch in the 22-year-old guard.

Since the calendar flipped to mid-February, we’ve seen a completely different player emerge from the statistical ashes. Post-All-Star Podz has been nothing short of revelatory.

The shooting splits tell the tale: 47.8% from the field and a blistering 43.8% from downtown since February 13th. That’s not just a hot streak – that’s the kind of efficiency that forces opposing coaches to rip up their defensive game plans in real time.

But the statistical transformation goes beyond just shooting percentages. Podz has been a legitimate two-way force, using his basketball IQ to compensate for what he might lack in raw athleticism. The charge-taking machine from his rookie season has evolved into a complete defender who seems to materialize exactly where the ball is headed.

Through four games against Houston, the official playoff stats paint a picture of a young guard finding his rhythm at exactly the right moment:

12.5 points per game on 37.8% shooting (37.0% from deep) with 4.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.3 steals. Those numbers might not blow you away at first glance – but context is everything.

While Jalen Green has posted marginally better raw numbers (15.5 PPG), his shooting efficiency (31.3% from three) and turnover issues (3.0 per game, including FIVE in Game 4) reveal a young star still struggling to adapt to playoff intensity.

Game 4 might as well have been called The Podziemski Game. With the Warriors looking to take a commanding 3-1 lead and Jimmy Butler sidelined, Steph Curry needed someone to step up. Podz delivered in the biggest moment of his young career.

The Warriors are now on the verge of advancing, and they might just have found the perfect backcourt complement to Curry in the process.

The Warriors dynasty was built on the supernatural shooting of Splash Brothers Curry and Thompson, with Jordan Poole later emerging as a key contributor to the 2022 championship run. Both Thompson and Poole cemented their Warriors legacies in the postseason crucible.

Remember Klay’s 11 three-pointers against OKC in Game 6 of the 2016 Western Conference Finals? Or Poole absolutely frying the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2022 playoffs? These weren’t just great games – they were defining moments that transformed good players into franchise legends.

Now, it’s Podziemski’s turn to write his chapter in the storied history of Warriors guards.

Let’s be brutally honest: the Warriors’ hopes for a fifth championship in the Curry-Green era don’t hinge solely on those two Hall of Famers. They don’t even rest primarily on Jimmy Butler’s surgically repaired knee, though his health is certainly critical.

For the Warriors to seriously challenge the Western Conference elite, they need Playoff Podz to be more than just a nice story. They need him to be a legitimate third scoring option and defensive disruptor. They need him to hit open threes when defenses collapse on Curry. They need him to make the right pass every time.

In short, they need him to grow up faster than most 22-year-olds should reasonably be expected to.

But if there’s one thing we’ve learned about Brandin Podziemski – from his rise at Santa Clara to his All-Rookie season to his midseason sophomore slump resurrection – it’s that he thrives when the pressure mounts and the doubters multiply.

With one more win needed to dispatch the Rockets, and significantly tougher challenges awaiting in subsequent rounds, the Warriors’ championship dreams may very well rest on the shoulders of a curly-haired assassin who wasn’t even expected to crack the rotation as a rookie.

Playoff Podz has arrived. And the postseason is where legends are born.