The Golden State Warriors could potentially be without one of their key pieces this Wednesday night in Game 2 of the team’s first-round series against the Houston Rockets. Guard Brandon Podziemski has been suddenly given a questionable tag for the said contest due to an unspecified illness, as seen on the official NBA injury report.
However, Podziemski was reportedly “spotted at morning shootaround sitting off to the side,” according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, perhaps a good sign about his status amid the uncertainty of whether he will be able to give it a go or not for Game 2.
The former Santa Clara Broncos star played heavy minutes as part of the starting unit in the Warriors’ 95-85 victory in Game 1 over Ime Udoka’s Rockets. Podziemski scored 14 points on 5-for-13 shooting from the floor with three made shots on 13 attempts from behind the arc while also adding eight rebounds, five assists and two steals in 35 minutes. He finished the series-opener with a plus-14 — the best among all players in the contest.
Podziemski’s rebounding and ability to stretch the floor with his decent tough from deep are two things the Warriors would miss from him if he sits out Game 2.
Back in the 2024-25 NBA regular season, Podziemski put up averages of 11.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists while posting a 44.5 field goal percentage and a 37.2 percent success rate on shots from the 3-point region across 64 games, including 33 starts.
If the 22-year-old Brandin Podziemski ultimately gets ruled out for Game 2, the Warriors could give extra minutes and more on the plates of the likes of Buddy Hield, Gary Payton II and Moses Moody to help two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry in doing the chores in the backcourt. Moody started and scored seven points in Game 1 while Hield and Payton both came off the bench and scored a total of nine points together. Curry led the way for the Dubs with 31 points, while Jimmy Butler scored 25 points.
The Warriors, looking to go up 2-0 in the Rockets series, will take their turn to host Houston for Game 3 and Game 4 on Saturday and next Monday, respectively.
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