Brandin Podziemski makes All-Rookie first team

The 21-year-old is the Warriors’ first All-Rookie team member since 2020

The No. 19 pick in the NBA Draft isn’t considered prime drafting position, but the Golden State Warriors found a really good player there. After an impressive first season, the 21-year-old Santa Clara guard was named to the NBA’s All-Rookie first team.

Podziemski joined Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama from the San Antonio Spurs, emerging star center Chet Holmgren from the Oklahoma City Thunder, high-scoring Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller, and the Miami Heat’s forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. on the first team.

While the team includes a No. 1 overall pick and two No. 2 selections, Jacquez and Podziemski went back-to-back in the middle of the first round. No. 16 pick Keyonte George is on the second team, as is No. 45 pick GG Jackson II. And the last player left off the team was Golden State’s own Trayce Jackson-Davis, who the Warriors selected at No. 57.

Podziemski made an immediate impact on Golden State, leading the NBA in charges drawn and leading the Warriors in plus/minus. Over the course of the season, the Warriors outscored their opponents by 264 points when Podz was on the floor. That’s even better than Steph Curry (+189) and Draymond Green (+174). Let’s watch all 38 of those charges!

His first big game of the season came against the Minnesota Timberwolves in November. With Curry out, Podziemski played nearly 39 minutes in his seventh career game, putting up 23 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.

In December, he had another huge game against the Phoenix Suns, scoring 20 points and nabbing 11 rebounds, while adding five assists. For the season, Podziemski averaged 5.8 rebounds, but logged double-digit rebounds seven times. His rebounding is remarkable for a player who stands 6-foot-5, but there’s a guy named Wardell on the team who also rebounds unusually well for his size.

Five days later, Podziemski preserved a victory against the Portland Trail Blazers by drawing a charge against Shaedon Sharpe in the final seconds with the Warriors leading by just two points.

Podziemski’s highest-scoring game of the season came when he put up 25 against the Los Angeles Clippers, shooting a perfect 5-for-5 from distance. He did it on just 12 shots, dished eight assists, and got seven rebounds.

He finished the season with averages of 9.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists, against just 1.2 turnovers. Podziemski shot 38.5% on three and just below 50% on his two-pointers, while drawing a charge every other game and averaging 0.8 steals. It’s hard to imagine the Warriors expected more from this pick, and he feels nearly untradeable.

The last Warriors to finish on the All-Rookie first team was Eric Paschall in 2020, who most recently played for Leones de Ponce in Puerto Rico’s Baloncesto Superior Nacional. Before that, Harrison Barnes and Klay Thompson were first-teamers in 2013 and 2012, as was Curry in 2010. Before that, you have to go all the way back to 2002, when dunk champ Jason Richardson made the first team, and 2001, when center Marc “Unstoppable Baby!” Jackson was a first-teamer.

It’s ironic that in a year after the Warriors seemingly abandoned a youth movement, trading away Jordan Poole and their two most recent draft picks (Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Ryan Rollins), the 2023-24 season hinted at the promise of the much maligned “two timelines.” The Warriors got thoughtful, mature play from two excellent rookies while it was the veterans who had the most problems, technical fouls, clashes over playing time, and suspensions.

Podziemski proudly represents the second timeline. The Warriors will need even more from him going forward, but Podz looks ready to step up.