One of the big benefits of the Jimmy Butler has been the development of young guard Brandin Podziemski.
More recently, he has spring to life and scored 28 points against the Lakers and then backed against the Nuggets with 26 points.
“I talked to some vets, not on our team, and they told me that the whole goal when you want to be the best you can be, it’s really feeling like you play in high school,” Podziemski told reporters after the Warriors beat the Nuggets 118-104. “Because everybody is the best player on their high school team and when you can get to that spot mentally where you feel like you’re in high school again, everything’s just free flowing.
“That’s what you see the best [players] do. All the All-Stars, all the Hall of Fame guys, they play like they did in high school. Their tapes from high school to the NBA almost mirror each other. And so when you get to that level mentally and then obviously all the work you put in with it just sets you up for success.”
Podz backed up his shooting form against the Nuggets with another impressive night against the Rockets.
Although the Warriors lost, Podziemski scored 19 points, 6 rebounds 4 assists, one steal on 7-14 from the field and 4-9 from deep, compared to 10-16 from the floor and 4-8 from three and 5-7 from mid-range against Denver.
“That’s what I worked on the majority of the summer,” Podziemski revealed. “Obviously, you’re seeing a little bit more now than early in the season just because I was shooting so poorly. Teams were sagging off so I didn’t really have those opportunities and now guys got to go over the ball screens … it’s open all day.
“So, I’m just taking another step. I want to be a three-level scorer.”
Golden State coach Steve Kerr is a big Podz advocate and is happy to see him flourish since the Jimmy trade.
isn’t surprised by Podziemski’s rise. He’s seen his young guard take another leap under Butler’s mentorship.
“Brandon is probably the biggest beneficiary of the Jimmy trade,” Kerr told reporters. “They have a really good connection together. Jimmy makes everybody better but he’s especially making Brandon better.”
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