The Golden State Warriors are in the twilight of the Steph Curry era, and they're trying to get their franchise legend one last championship before he calls it a career.
They currently have a veteran-heavy roster, with players such as Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler, Al Horford, Buddy Hield, and Seth Curry. While these experienced players are expected to contribute right away, Golden State will need its younger players to step up when their older players need rest.
One of their young guards, who is expected to see an uptick in minutes and usage this season, was predicted to take the largest step forward of any other youngster on the roster.
Brandin Podziemski predicted to take a 'leap' in 2025-26
Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes predicted that guard Brandin Podziemski will take the biggest "leap" for the Warriors this upcoming season.
"Podz has graded out as merely a middling pick-and-roll operator, posting points-per-possession figures around the 50th percentile for his career. Defenses don't tend to fear him as a scoring threat in those situations, but he can change that by making quicker decisions and proving he can generate shots for himself in one-on-one situations," wrote Hughes.
"More consistent three-point shooting will paper over some of his athletic limitations as well, and it's encouraging to note that he found his stroke as last season went on. A frigid start gave way to 43.8 percent shooting from deep after the All-Star break. Don't bet against him beating his post-ASG averages of 15.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists on 59.0 percent true shooting."
Golden State's guard depth is filled with veterans, such as the Curry brothers, Gary Payton II, and De'Anthony Melton. Outside of Steph, Podziemski has the most upside of any of the guards mentioned above and will certainly see the most minutes of any other depth piece.
If the Warriors are serious about contending in 2025-26, Podziemski will certainly have to take another step forward to make a championship chase a reality.
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