Podz is ready for his second Warriors season after revitalizing himself during the summer break.

Brandin Podziemski experienced his inaugural NBA offseason as an eye opener – seeing Klay Thompson and Chris Paul leave their respective teams, as well as experiencing its business side with many transactions between teams and player moves. He faced off against some of the toughest competition as part of USA Basketball Men’s Select Team and excelled during summer league play for Warriors. As part of his final free time ever in his young basketball life, advice given Podziemski at 21 was to pursue other interests outside of basketball that will satisfy him more deeply than basketball alone. Podziemski enjoyed attending Team USA games at the Paris Summer Olympic. Brandin Podziemski made waves back to baseball roots by throwing out the first pitch at both Milwaukee Brewers game as well as taking batting practice at Oracle Park ahead of a Giants match, when he hit one over right field wall! Brandin’s summer activities marked another growth spurt both personally and as an athlete for Year 2. “I am honored that NBC Sports Bay Area allowed me this chance, as well as dedicating much time and work to developing my game in preparation to succeed these legendary figures,” Podziemski noted in an exclusive interview. “Why shouldn’t that opportunity fall on someone like myself? Who am I to let the chance slip through my fingers? Podziemski concluded his statement by declaring, “why not me??” “Those three words illustrate Podziemski’s approach to nearly everything in his life. No one anticipated him being selected in the first-round draft after only seeing limited playing time as a freshman at Illinois before transferring to Santa Clara for two more seasons, where his success lead him quickly up draft boards before landing with Warriors at No. 19 overall. After initially spending much time in the G League with Santa Cruz Warriors, many anticipated he would spend significant time there as well. Instead, Podziemski quickly established himself as coach Steve Kerr’s most reliable rookie ever under First Team All-Rookie selection, becoming even more trusted over time and facing greater expectations going into Year 2. Already taking on more leadership responsibilities going into Year 2, Podziemski feels ready for more responsibility going into Season 2. “My goal is to exceed their expectations in any way possible, which is where Steph Curry comes into play,” said Podziemski. Not as someone placing higher expectations on him, but as an authority figure who Podziemski can depend on in terms of blocking offseason trade rumors or setting an example in terms of work ethic and doing business the correct way. “Having Steph as my mentor in sports is absolutely unparalleled,” stated Podziemski. “His success as an Olympic gold medal winner speaks for itself and represents everything an aspiring basketball player could hope to accomplish in life. “Watching his way of accepting criticism, winning, and all his achievements is inspiring; as I follow in his footsteps I strive to emulate that mindset as much as possible. Although far behind him now I strive for small steps toward getting there. “Podziemski’s motivations are also not concealed from view; he knows all 18 players drafted ahead of him and can see clearly where each of their talents lie.” He makes himself heard via social media as well. With every retweet or quote tweet or like on negative comments about himself or Warriors on Instagram that come his way – from high school through to now when Joe Lacob called Podziemski an All-Star at summer league in Las Vegas this summer – fuel is added to light his fire. Since high school, both him and his father have kept an open thread of doubters; some may call them doubters since losing Stephen Curry to Cleveland as they failed to add another superstar, leaving Joe Lacob calling Podziemski an All-Star at Las Vegas Summer League this summer; such voices of doubters add weight as fuel fueled him on Podziemski has taken note. “Prove them wrong has always been my driving motivation,” states Podziemski. “People on the outside may view my goals as unrealistic or audacious but why sell yourself short in this kind of industry? “For me personally, we use motivation as motivation; my coach does an outstanding job at reminding me to challenge what people say every day to prove them wrong. Each day is spent attacking things to show why their words have no merit whatsoever. Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton as examples from Team USA who had gone from playing Select Team basketball to winning gold medals were powerful motivators during Podziemski’s summer workouts.” He credits Warriors assistant Anthony Vereen, who led their summer league squad, with pushing him to be a leader both on and off the court. Brandin Podziemski completed an exciting summer as an off-court traveler exploring baseball memories through traveling back in time. On the court, he has modified his style of play from floating or hook shooting in the lane to shooting more 3-pointers as part of being forced into being more of a scoring threat. All the small things that made Podziemski stand out during his Warriors debut season remain at play: taking charges and diving for loose balls; possessing an instinct for grabbing rebounds over larger opponents. Whatever it takes for success. And now Podziemski anticipates an offensive explosion is near at hand. “I had more in me throughout last season,” he states. “And not more in terms of playing harder, but I believe there was more that could have been done – whatever way you look at that. Playing hard has always been part of who I am as an athlete no matter the sport or team I belong to – no matter if I am the best or worst performer.” “No matter if I take five shots or 15 shots,” said Podziemski of his elevated role, you will still see charges and rebounds regardless of his shooting output. With such an expansive role comes elevated expectations but that has never been his reality – that is just who Podziemski is for them now and now they want him to show everyone what Phase 2 holds! To stay informed and connected to him follow Dubs Talk Podcast (download/subscribe to).