Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Chet Holmgren was named the Western Conference Rookie of the Month for December, beating seven other players to the award. One player who surprisingly wasn’t considered for the honor was Golden State Warriors‘ first-round pick Brandin Podziemski. And he had an interesting reaction to it.
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Keyonte George (UTA), Scoot Henderson (POR), Dereck Lively II (DAL), Victor Wembanyama (SAS), Bilal Coulibaly (WAS), Brandon Miller (CHA) and Craig Porter Jr. (CLE) all received consideration for Rookie of the Month honors. https://t.co/hBzaD0xzHq
— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) January 4, 2024
Podziemski reacted to the snub with a stellar outing against the reigning NBA champions, the Denver Nuggets. He scored 13 points, dished five assists, and grabbed two rebounds while shooting 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. Despite his heroics, the Warriors succumbed to a gut-wrenching 130-127 loss.
Podziemski had an impressive December averaging 11.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists. He delivered an outstanding performance against the Phoenix Suns on the road, scoring 20 points, grabbing a career-high 11 rebounds, and dishing five assists in the Warriors’ narrow 119-116 loss. Podziemski recorded his second double-double of the month against the Portland Trail Blazers in the Warriors’ 126-106 win. Some fans expressed their disbelief about Podziemski missing out on a nomination.
No Brandin Podziemski???
— Dr. Nirav Pandya, M.D. (@DrNiravPandya) January 5, 2024
While Holmgren was unsurprisingly named the Rookie of the Month for December, Podziemski not being among the nominees was surprising. He reacted positively to the snub, posting a single emoji:
— Brandin Podziemski (@brandinpodziem2) January 4, 2024
Podziemski’s response speaks volumes about his attitude. Despite being snubbed, he did not vent and suggested he had it noted down. If he continues to deliver impactful performances, as he did against the Nuggets, he could not only be in consideration but potentially win the Rookie of the Month award.
Brandin Podziemski: Warriors’ silver lining this season
The Warriors’ season has been an unmitigated disaster. Klay Thompson‘s horrendous form and Draymond Green‘s violent behaviour have had a severe effect, and they see themselves currently placed 10th in the Western Conference standings. However, rookie Brandin Podziemski has been a silver lining. He has averaged 9.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists this season.
Podziemski has been a livewire off the bench. The shooting guard has a Swiss Army knife role for the Warriors and does a little bit of everything for the team. He’s had two 20-point outings this season, and two double-doubles off the bench.
Podziemski has started only eight games for the Warriors. However, the team is 5-3 in those games and 11-15 in games he hasn’t started or played in. He had arguably his best game of the season against the Brooklyn Nets, scoring 19 points, grabbing five rebounds, dishing five assists, and recording three steals in the Warriors’ 124-120 win.
Podziemski’s impact this season is reminiscent of Jordan Poole‘s rookie season during the 2019-20 NBA campaign. The former Warriors had an impactful year off the bench before blossoming into one of the team’s most important players. He played a massive role in helping the Warriors win the 2021-22 NBA championship. The Warriors will hope that Podziemski continues making an impact this season and blossoms into a star soon.
