Just two days before, Steve Kerr had mentioned at a media conference how tricky it is to play Brandin Poodziemski because of their 10-man rotation. But it looked like Kerr needed to bring the rookie to the forefront tonight. Podziemski is one of the most promising rookies in the Warriors. And though they all play great, it is hard to give everyone a chance on the floor.
The one positive side to tonight’s ejection was that Brandin took the lead. Guess he will have to thank Green for that. Watching how the 20-year-old lives up to the dynasty’s name has Kerr thrilled.
Coach Kerr hands out a promise to Brandin Podziemski
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The third Warrior to drop 20 points this season, Podziemski joins Curry and Saric on the list. Quite a remarkable achievement for a rookie. Kerr couldn’t agree more, so much so that he promised Brandin that he was going to play every night from here on.
Kerr on Podziemski: “He’s gonna play. He’s gonna play every night. … There’s something unique about him.”
— Marcus Thompson II (@ThompsonScribe) November 15, 2023
The Warriors were already in a tough place given that Stephen Curry was out because of a knee sprain. Obviously, the responsibility fell on Thompson and Green to take the lead for tonight’s game. The foolproof plan went out the window less than two minutes into the game.
Both teams were on edge after multiple ejections, making them cautious around each other. Dario Saric, Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, and Brandin Podziemski regrouped to face the Wolves. The scuffle must have given them renewed energy that even the normally quiet Wiggs showcased an impressive performance.
Chris Paul, on the other hand, seems to only have eyes for Gobert. Getting a shot over the 7’1 towering giant, 6’0 CP3 made his point. Brandin Podziemski, of course, stole the show sailing through the first three quarters and landing a stunning 3-pointer towards the end of the third quarter.
Seeing the aggressiveness Green showed toward Gobert takes us back to their infamous rivalry.
Draymond can’t seem to let go of his past with Gobert
The two have a history dating to 2019. Rudy Gobert was part of the Utah Jazz team and had won the DPOY that year. Gobert believed he would be named in the All-Star reserves. Unfortunately for him, it did not happen, and talking about the whole incident left him in tears.
That slight hiccup was more than enough for Green to take up the matter. He soon took to Twitter with a jab straight at Rudy for being so upset. But the Frenchman is not so easily disarmed. Later that day, when asked about the troll, the big man hit back with equal fervor, “What did he tweet? As long as he doesn’t post anything on Snapchat, we’re good.” That blow was a reference to Green’s volatile inappropriate Snapchat post (2016).
And then, we have his infamous COVID-19 issue, where he intentionally touched every microphone in the media room. This, of course, made the entire NBA world mad. More recently, Green got payback against the 3x DPOY when he punched teammate Anderson (2023).
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Here’s Rudy Gobert punching his own teammate, Kyle Anderson, during the final game of the regular season. Cool, cool, cool. pic.twitter.com/nBHyYDXluA
— J.E. Skeets (@jeskeets) April 9, 2023
This was a revenge tweet for when Green had punched his teammate Poole during preseason 2022. About six months later, he paid “The Stifle Tower” back in kind. And now we come to tonight – the day Green managed to get his hands on Gobert for real.
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So what do you think is in store for DrayMagic now? Will he join Ja Morant? Let us know your predicted outcomes in the comments below!
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