The Golden State Warriors showcased its pedigree in a recent 121-101 away win against the Memphis Grizzlies. Brandin Podziemski contributed majorly to the Bay Area side’s dominance as the 20-year-old registered a record performance. Following the heroics, the NBA rookie tagged the franchise talisman Stephen Curry as his ‘father figure’, while citing the latter’s impact.
Advertisement
The youngster has continued his impressive run of form as he registered his 4th double-double of the campaign. Coming off the bench in Tennessee, Podziemski scored 12 points, 14 assists, and 7 rebounds in 34 minutes against the arch-conference rivals. In the process, the 6ft 4″ guard set the record for most assists by a Warriors rookie since Curry in February 2010.
Upon matching the 2x MVP for this remarkable feat, the Wisconsin-born reflected on his camaraderie with the All-Star guard.
“He has been my mentor all along,” Podziemski highlighted before adding, “I look up to him in every way. How he carries himself, how he is a husband, father figure and it is inspiration to a lot of people around the world just because of the game of basketball and how good of a person he is”.
Following this, the shooting guard shed light on his ambition as it circled around the 35-year-old.
“I kinda wanna follow in those footsteps and be just as good,” he mentioned, shedding light on the influence of the 4x champion on his career.
This set benchmark has worked in favour of Podziemski as he is registering an impressive stat line as a rookie. The NBA acknowledged his efforts of 9.3 points per game, 3.5 assists per game, and 5.5 rebounds per game by selecting him for the Rising Stars game. With his aspirations remaining sky-high, the development of the youngster under Curry has now become a key area of interest.
The admiration of Stephen Curry for Brandin Podziemski
Recently, the rookie compared his gameplay to his seasoned teammate Draymond Green citing his prowess as a facilitator. Upon listening to the parallels, the 2022 Finals MVP seemingly felt proud of the mindset of the NBA youngster. “I love it. I love that guy so much,” the 6ft 2″ guard mentioned before congratulating him for the Rising Stars game selection.
This added further volume to the rising popularity of the young Warriors guard. His incremental advancements in the Rookie of the Year rankings also serve as an example of it. Despite being the 19th pick in the NBA draft, Podziemski currently ranks 6th on the list of contenders for the award.
So, his overall development has instilled faith in the Dubs fans as they await their next generation of stars. Considering the recent signs, the 20-year-old could become a leading name in that regard as he has fit the culture exemplarily. Thus, the Bay Area remains hopeful of its chances of a restoration to its past glory.
