“This was a great experience for him…. I said, ‘When we get back here next season, you are not going to turn down a single shot’” said Steve Kerr when discussing Brandin Podziemski after the Golden State Warriors’ elimination from the ongoing tournament. The player, in his 2nd ever season with the NBA, went through several issues, including a historic shooting slump through the first four games of the Western Conference semifinals. With any hope, Steve Kerr and his teammates look to change that for next season. Unfortunately, they will have to wait until training camp. After all, Podz has made himself unavailable before that.

According to ‘The Athletic’s Anthony Slater, the Warriors revealed that Brandin Podziemski underwent left wrist debridement surgery yesterday. Fortunately, the player is expected to be back for training camp, thereby making him available for the next season. However, it also means that he cannot get any work in during the 4-5 months remaining in the off-season. It is unclear when Podziemski picked up the left wrist injury. However, it is a good thing that it is being treated in the off-season, rather than when his absence during games could impact the Bay Area franchise.

Podziemski’s injury just so happened to be on his shooting wrist. A Debridement surgery has been described by UCSF’s Department of Surgery as something that “involves thoroughly cleaning the wound and removing all hyperkeratotic (thickened skin or callus), infected, and nonviable (necrotic or dead) tissue, foreign debris, and residual material from dressings”. If the injury had occurred in the later part of the tournament, it could explain why Podziemski shot just 36.4% from the field in 12 games. It was a sharp drop from the 44.5% rate he shot during the regular season.

With the surgery, Brandin Podziemski now enters the small list of other key Warriors players who are in recovery mode. Stephen Curry had sustained the first hamstring injury of his NBA career during Game 1 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Meanwhile, last week, Moses Moody underwent successful surgery in Los Angeles to repair a torn Ulnar Collateral ligament (UCL) in his right thumb. Fortunately, he is also expected to make a full recovery and be ready for the start of training camp.

With any luck, Brandin Podziemski is able to get enough time to practice and improve himself once he returns to the basketball court. After all, one individual is laying too many expectations on him.

Steve Kerr defended Brandin Podziemski from criticism while raising expectations: “he has to understand this is what it feels like”

The playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves laid bare just how vulnerable the Golden State Warriors are without Stephen Curry. Game 3 at Chase Center underscored that reality, as the Warriors dropped a hard-fought 102-97 contest. Jimmy Butler (33 points) and Jonathan Kuminga (30) carried much of the offensive load to keep Golden State in the game, but the spotlight after the loss landed squarely on Brandin Podziemski’s underwhelming performance.

In 39 minutes of action, Podziemski mustered just 5 points, along with 8 rebounds and 2 assists. He shot a dismal 1-of-10 from the field and 1-of-4 from beyond the arc, though he did go 2-for-2 at the line. As MotorcycleSports reported, the young guard “faced fierce criticism for performances that fell short of the high standards set by the Warriors’ fanbase.” But amid the backlash, he found a firm supporter in head coach Steve Kerr.

After Game 3, during the presser, the Warriors HC said, “If things bounce the other way and we’re in here with a win, nobody cares that he didn’t score a lot. BP is not a big scorer, he’s a basketball player. He does a lot of great things out there.” However, the coach emphasised that he is not going easy on the shooting guard. In Kerr’s words, “I thought he could’ve gotten 10 or 11 threes off, and we needed those. And I told him that after the game, I said, ‘When we get back here next season, you are not going to turn down a single shot.’”

Having been part of the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls franchise, Steve Kerr knows the pressure that comes with the playoffs. He knows how easy it is for one to lose their confidence, with teams throwing different schemes at the players. Therefore, he also added that “You had a bad game, and everyone is talking about your shooting percentage. You feel like you’re on an island. I’ve been there. It’s great for Brandin to go through that and then finish the series with a great game because he has to understand this is what it feels like.”

Do you believe that Brandin Podziemski will get enough time to make a difference in this off-season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section down below.