The Golden State Warriors‘ refusal to part with promising young talent like Brandin Podziemski and Jonathan Kuminga to acquire veterans like Paul George or Lauri Markkanen certainly raised a few eyebrows. Markkanen, despite his hefty $238 million contract, would have been a blockbuster addition, but the Dubs opted for a youth movement. And now, as Podziemski’s performance continues on a declining trend, doubts over the Warriors’ belief in him have been on the rise. But if you ask the team’s head coach Steve Kerr, he only has a few words that are enough to bring his player some good ‘ol reality check!

While Coach Kerr had some pointed feedback after uncharacteristic play production from the rookie of late, saying, “I think the last two games there has been some indecision. First time I’ve seen that from him since maybe early last season,” he was also sympathetic during a media addressal this week. a

The 59-year-old said to The Athletic‘s Anthony Slater, “It happens to everybody during the course of the year. You just get into a bit of a rut.” But that’s not all as Kerr further talked about what’s missing: “I know what Brandin is about and I expect him to come out with a lot of fire tonight. A lot of energy. I want him firing  away when he is open. He is at his best when he is super aggressive. And I think he will come out aggressively tonight.”

The 9x NBA champion’s balanced critique that talked about both trust in Podziemski’s long-term potential and how he’s in lacking, is sure to work as a reality check for the young player. The rookie, who impressed with his poise early on, seems to be hitting the proverbial ‘rookie wall’. Notably, Podziemski’s performance in the last two games prior to their November 15 clash against the Memphis Grizzlies has taken a sudden dip.

In the team’s November 12 game against the Dallas Mavericks, the 21-year-old finished the game with three points, one rebound and one assist in 17 minutes of play—his third lowest game in terms of points scored. On the other hand, during their November 10 game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Podziemski had one rebound and one assist, but no points scored in 15 minutes of play.

However, Brandin Podziemski, for his part, isn’t shying away from acknowledging his struggles. Nor the expectations that come with it. Speaking to Clutch Points in an exclusive interview, the 21-year-old shared, “The 82-game season can be trying. Right now, my numbers aren’t where I want them to be, but I know it’s a long journey.” But that wasn’t all.

Drawing on lessons from veteran teammates like Klay Thompson, who rebounded from early shooting woes last season, Podziemski remains optimistic. “Last season, Klay started like 11-for-50 or something like that from deep, and he still finished shooting 40 percent from three-point range for the year,” he pointed out. “I know the work I put in on a daily basis, and what you put in is what the game will reward you with.”

But even this self belief has not been able to convince industry insiders that the Warriors took a wrong decision by letting Lauri Markkanen go in favor of Brandin…

Community abuzz with Warriors’ trade situation, as the team deals with the Paul George heartbreak

“Podziemski needs to be moved to get Markkanen. They barely play him [Brandin]. Like he plays, but he’s not…out there having a huge impact on the Warriors. Like he’s a good little role player, he’s had some solid moments. But, these guys got to go. If you can get a Lauri Markannen. I’m not saying trade a huge part of your team. Whatever you got going right now is working…” former NBA player Austin Rivers stated on the Ringer podcast earlier this week, as he pointed out Warriors’ issues.

However, there’s a problem if you want to take Podz out of the equation, which was amply clear from veteran journalist Marc Stein’s revelations…

“Utah’s interest in Golden State’s Brandon Podziemski, in combination with future draft compensation that the Warriors could package with the All-Rookie first team selection, is serious enough that it keeps alive the prospect of a Markkanen trade between now and August 6,” Stein said.

Anthony Slater, on the other hand, also stated how Brandin Podziemski is “beloved organizationally” and that “Steve Kerr couldn’t keep him off the floor as a rookie”. Well, this essentially means, in Stein’s words, “The Warriors would be more willing to move Jonathan Kuminga in a Markkanen trade — or any big-swing deal — than Podziemski.” 

Apparently, Warriors’ general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr had pushed for the Utah Jazz player to be inducted until they backed out at the last minute. The reason? The team didn’t see it as reasonable to bring Markkanen without Paul George.

“The conversation was always about that possibility,” Draymond Green had said. “You get both of those guys, you make a huge splash. But the Clippers weren’t really willing to play ball.” Shedding more light on the situation, the team’s HC had said, “Mike is very sensible. He just said to me, ‘It doesn’t make sense to sell your entire future for a team that you think can be pretty good, but isn’t awesome, right?’ Especially at this stage with the ages of our stars.”

So, as expected, there’s quite a lot that the Warriors had to give up on, in the recruitment front. There’s 9x All-Star Paul George who, despite being open to the prospect of joining Steve Kerr’s arsenal, was forced to give on his dream. In order to land at the Warriors, George had to opt-into the final year of his contract with the LA Clippers. Instead, the Clippers chose to “chose to shed his salary rather than gain anything from the Warriors in return”. 

Talking about the same, Steph Curry’s said to The Athletic, “Let’s keep it real. Most teams are probably not going to want to help us.” George went to the Philadelphia 76ers for a four-year, $212 million contract, much to his dismay, and adding to the Warriors’ growing frustrations. “Paul George was gonna come to the Warriors. We wanted Paul George to come to the Warriors… The Clippers didn’t really want to play ball. Didn’t want to help him get to where he wanted to go, so in turn they get nothing back…” Draymond Green stated bluntly, on his podcast during the offseason.

Well, that’s quite a lot, isn’t it? Let us know what you think of the situation in the comments below!