As the NBA Playoffs quickly approach, we explore nine role players who can have an underrated impact on the 2025 NBA Championship race.
With roughly one week remaining in the NBA's regular season, it's only natural to begin looking at what could await the league once the NBA Playoffs begin. The NBA Play-In Tournament will start on April 16, and the official start of the NBA Playoffs will take place on April 19. All in all, it's pretty safe to say that the best part of the NBA season is right around the corner. As we inch closer to the postseason, teams across the league will be attempting to position themselves where they need to be to make a strong run.
Some teams are looking to make championship runs, while others may be perhaps looking to gain some good experience during the postseason. Either way, every team is hoping to get something out of the NBA Playoffs. Looking at teams who are hoping to make a deep run, we explore nine role players who could end up making a huge impact in their respective teams' championship bids.
Brandin Podziemski, Golden State Warriors
Entering this season, there were a ton of expectations surrounding Brandin Podziemski. During the offseason, there was a belief that the Golden State Warriors considered Podziekmski to be an "untouchable" piece, hoping that he would make a huge jump in his development this season. To start out the year, that's not exactly how things played out for the Warriors.
During the first two and a half months of the season, Podziemski struggled while averaging just eight points per game on 40 percent shooting from the field and 30 percent shooting from 3-point range. I'm not sure if it was the expectations weighing on his shoulders or just a basic sophomore slump, but his performance did leave much to be desired to start out the year.
However, since the turn of the calendar, Podziemski has looked like a completely different player. Over that span, Podziemski has averaged 15 points, six rebounds, and four assists per game on 46 percent shooting from the field and 40 percent shooting from 3-point range. If the Warriors are going to make a championship run, you'd have to imagine that aside from Jimmy Butler, Steph Curry, and Draymond Green, Podziemski could end up having a huge hand in their postseason success.