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The balloon has finally burst on the faces of the Warriors fans and the franchise. The same franchise that tagged Brandin Podziemski with “untradable”, and “future of the franchise” tags, is now looking for answers in dismay. What happened to their prized Podz from last season who was an All-Rookie First Teamer? Well, the wheels literally fell off this season for the young guard as his struggles in the Dubs uniform are seeing no end. But thankfully he has a bunch of guys to lean on in that locker room to dig himself out of the hole.

With Dennis Schroder added to the Dubs mix, Podz’s minutes have taken a hit along with his confidence. However, help is right around the shoulder as former NBA star Austin Rivers pointed out. “I’m not keeping my eye on Golden State all the time, but he (Podziemski) hasn’t been himself. All I could tell you is it takes 1 or 2 games. If Podziemski plays 10 games straight well, no one’s gonna give a sh*t about the bad start because his numbers are gonna be improved,” the host said during the latest episode of the Off Guard With Austin Rivers Podcast.

Unsure if the Warriors star listens to the podcast, Rivers added, “You’ve played like a** this year. Everyone has had moments like that… And I’m sure having guys like Steph, and other vets, Wiggins in the locker room, people who have been you know, especially Wiggins. He’s had times where he’s been up and down, family, all different types of distractions in his life, and he’s had to figure out ways to stay the course. He has people he can lean on for advice.” Brandin Podziemski is averaging only 8 points per game this season, with his season high of 21 coming in the Grizzly’s loss to the Grizzlies on December 19. His shooting has also taken a nosedive this season, shooting only 29.5% from beyond the arc compared to 38.5% last season.

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via Imago

But if the clip of the pod reaches Draymond Green, he wouldn’t be too thrilled about it because of what the former Timberwolves guard had to say about him. “I was gonna say Draymond, but I don’t know how supportive and uplifting that guy is as a teammate. I never played with him. I only see the stuff on the outside. It’s chaos,” Rivers told skeptically. “But I’m sure he actually probably is a guy that he can lean on as well.” Thankfully, Rivers added the last bit before Draymond found out and did something about it. Despite the slight doubt in Austin’s mind, Green’s teammates have a very different view about the veteran’s mentorship.

Warriors’ young blood, including Brandin Podziemski, can indeed look to lean on Draymond

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At the Saginaw High School, Draymond’s coach, Lou Dawkins, had one advice for him that forever changed his game perspective. “Always leave the game in a better place than your predecessors left it for you,” were the words from his coach, and Draymond lives by those to this day. And surely he will do the same for his little bros in the Bay Area, including Brandin Podziemski.

Earlier in the season, Draymond had some words of counsel for Podz to deal with the rough patch. “The amount of pressure that he puts on himself with each shot is insane. And so I’m saying this also so I hope he hears it. Me and Steph talk to him every day. Like, who cares? Miss seven of them. No one cares but you. Like you’re the only person thinking about the shots you miss. No one else is thinking about it… stop reacting to everything that goes wrong for you… you know why? Because what we care about all of the other things that you do.”

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Can Brandin Podziemski bounce back with Draymond Green's mentorship, or is his slump here to stay?

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Not only can Brandin find solace in Green’s words, but his teammate, Jonathan Kuminga, was also backed by the 34-year-old. After recently drawing Steve Kerr’s ire over a wrong shot selection, JK found Green’s comforting support. So it was only natural for Kuminga to return the favor by giving a shout-out. After Saturday’s win over the Suns, Kuminga remarked, “It’s a lot to say about what the Draymond has been. In my life, you know, he had helped me a lot on and off the court.” So maybe that’s also the case for Podz. After last season’s All-Rookie recognition, Draymond was the first to congratulate Podziemski at the Warriors facility. Surely he has been in Podz’s ears behind the scenes. After all, that’s what champions do!

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Can Brandin Podziemski bounce back with Draymond Green's mentorship, or is his slump here to stay?