The Golden State Warriors have some extremely high hopes and expectations for Brandin Podziemski.
All offseason long, the Golden State Warriors have been in the trade market attempting to upgrade their roster. Their most recent (public) attempt failed with all signs pointing toward Lauri Markkanen signing a long-term extension with the Utah Jazz (making him ineligible to be traded during the 2024-25 NBA season). One of the bigger reasons why the Warriors and Jazz were unable to see eye to eye on a potential Markkanen deal revolved around Golden State's refusal to include Brandin Podziemski in any potential offer.
A young guard who emerged for the Warriors this past season, the team didn't want to punt on his potential just yet. As Golden State moved into the offseason, their faith in Podziemski was highlighted by the team's decision to also move on from Klay Thompson (who decided to sign elsewhere in free agency).
I can't imagine Podziemski was the primary reason why Thompson elected to sign elsewhere, but the Warriors were clearly comfortable with the decision partly because of him. The question is, heading into his sophomore season, how good can Podziemski be? Or, in other words, how high is his ceiling?
How high is the ceiling for Brandin Podziemski?
In an attempt to try and answer that question, perhaps there's a big reason why the Warriors have been unwilling to include Podziemski in any trade talks this summer. That's because Golden State believes he's their "guard of the future" and a foundational piece for the franchise moving forward.
That's quite a statement for a player who would go on to average just nine points and six rebounds per game during his rookie season. However, perhaps that's part of the reason Golden State didn't end up re-signing Thompson - they want to find a bigger role and more minutes for him.
Podziemski is in line to be the starting shooting guard next to Steph Curry and, for better or worse, we're going to get an idea of how good the second-year guard can be. For many reasons, this will be a huge season for the Warriors.
While the Warriors may feel comfortable about their future because of Podziemski, it still doesn't answer their questions about their immediate future. But this is the gamble that Golden State is taking in continuing to put much stock in Podziemski. At this point, he has to be great. As much as the Warriors may believe in him, there's no guarantee he will be.