The Warriors Drafted Brandin Podziemski, A Breakout Star From Santa Clara Whose Highlights Give Off Manu Ginobili Vibes
Key to reiterate from the outset here: The headline does not say that Brandin Podziemski will be as good as Manu Ginobili. To be the 19th overall pick in a draft and expect Hall of Fame-level production on multiple championship teams is far-fetched to say the least. Then again, the Golden State Warriors are the NBA's new model organization, just like the Spurs were in Manu's heyday. So there's that.
But for real, watch Podziemski ball out this past season at Santa Clara and tell me you don't see some similarities to Ginobili's offensive arsenal:
The weird, herky-jerky, seeming indecision when he's about to go into his jump shot. Then he sinks a dagger trey in your face, or takes you off the dribble all the way to the rack. Even through some of the unconventional finishing around the rim, the use of the Euro step and surprise dunks, I can see shades of Manu in Podziemski.
Both Ginobili and the newest Warrior boast underrated athleticism. Some of the pushback on Podziemski's ceiling in the NBA is his lack of explosiveness. Well...he has a 39-inch vertical leap, or so the ESPN telecast told me. That doesn't seem, uh...bad? Even by NBA standards!
For reference and comparison's sake, here's some Ginobili goodness:
In the aftermath of Golden State's stunning trade on Thursday that sent Jordan Poole to the Wizards in exchange for Chris Paul, it'll be fascinating to see what the Dubs do with their guard rotation. You don't often expect a 19th pick to contribute right away, yet in Podziemski's case, it's easy to see how he could be a factor as a rookie. Lights-out shooting ability and a unique playmaking skill set make him an ideal second-unit spark plug to deploy in relief of the aging guard trio of CP3, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.
At the very least, I'd expect Podziemski to be ready to roll with a significant spot in the Dubs' rotation by his second season. This might be CP3's final year as a pro. Klay's contract expires after the 2023-24 campaign. Lots of backcourt uncertainty in the not-so-distant future.
You need a championship mindset to survive with the Warriors these days. That's why Poole's ass was exiled from the Bay Area mere days after the team professed their desire to keep him for multiple years. Same went for the Duncan-Parker-Ginobili Spurs during their shared run of four NBA titles. All indications are Podziemski has the makeup to thrive with Golden State.
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