The Warriors‘ dream run might have just hit a roadblock. Rising star Brandin Podziemski was forced to leave for the locker room early, adding to the team’s concerns as they continue to await Jonathan Kuminga’s return. Tonight, after a commanding road game win against the Knicks, the Dubs took on another New York side, the Brooklyn Nets. While everyone considered it a cakewalk, the team had a massive setback in the first quarter.

30-odd seconds into the tip-off, Podziemski, who recently took up the starting shooting guard position, began to feel something in his back. Before anyone could realize what had happened, Podz walked off straight to the locker room, holding his lower back. As of now, there are no signs of the severity of the injury.

The team reported that the 22-year-old had sustained a lower back soreness and is questionable to return for tonight’s game.

Most importantly, this uncalled injury put the team in a difficult spot. Buddy Hield, who was supposed to take care of the shooting business from the second unit, replaced a playmaker. Unfortunately, it didn’t end well with the rest of the starting lineup. The Nets’ defenders found the Dubs off-guard and translated it on their offensive end with a 27-5 run.

Yes, a team with Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler on the offensive end couldn’t generate anything against fairly inexperienced defenders. Hmm. I guess that’s what an injury in the opening minute could do to a team. Above all, the draught didn’t haunt the Warriors longer.

While none of the shots went in, Jimmy Buckets put his muscling act on display and slowly brought hope back to the Bay Area with his three-point plays. Anyway, should the Warriors worry about Podz’s absence? Only time will tell.

The rise of Brandin Podziemski, courtesy: Jimmy Buckets

Podz is one example where we can prove that Jimmy Butler didn’t just bring in individual talent but also leadership into the team. The winning percentage since his trade speaks a lot. The Dubs have a 9-1 record in his presence. At the same time, if we have a closer look, Butler’s presence on the court improved the scoring rate of the people around him. 

Brandin Podziemski, who averaged 9.7 ppg, has been generating 14.0 ppg, and Moses Moody took a leap from 9.2 ppg to 14.8 ppg. Without a doubt, it’s an unreal improvement. Above all, the only difference between Moody and Podz is that the latter has a flare for playmaking as well.

The sophomore star has added an invaluable asset to his name, running the business during off-Butler minutes. Recently, Draymond Green, talking about him, said, “He is a really good shooter, really good basketball player, can be for a long time in this league.” In short, the team has found its future. 

So, the bottom line is, up and until Podziemski makes a return to the floor, the Dubs will indeed lose a major chunk of their offensive unit. Hopefully, it isn’t anything serious. Following the game, where the Dubs survived the Nets thriller, Steve Kerr updated on Podz’s injury saying, “Doesn’t appear to be serious. Day-to-day,” as per Anthony Slater. He might return for the next game. What do you make of it? Let us know in the comments.