Following a treacherous schedule to start the season, the Golden State Warriors come out basically unscathed.
A minor injury to Jonathan Kuminga and a tweaked ankle on Stephen Curry aside, Golden State is sitting above .500 through 17 games, and even in their most recent loss to the Miami Heat, they left with a couple of morale victories to build from.
Exciting performances from Pat Spencer and Quentin Post showed promise, but poor execution and a lack of discipline ultimately cost the Warriors down the stretch.
The Warriors must limit Podziemski’s role
Brandin Podziemski stepped up as the Warriors’ starting point guard in this matchup and finished the night with 20 points on an abysmal 6/19 shooting from the field and only two assists.
The Podziemski experiment has not been futile for the Warriors, and the third-year guard has shown no indication that he’s capable of being both an impactful and winning player when given a substantial role—he’s simply not there yet.
NBA: Golden State Warriors at Miami Heat
If Podziemski is expected to be the Warriors’ sixth man, that’s a recipe for disaster at this stage of his career. Podziemski would be much better suited as the eighth or ninth man until he shows true progress as a consistent scorer.
His lack of playmaking and insistence on being a scorer limit those who share the floor with him, but he’s a great hustle guy and would be demoralizing for the opposing team if he were impactful in his role from the eighth or ninth man position.
Promising effort from the Warriors in the first half wasn’t sustainable
The Warriors showed great discipline in the first half defensively while protecting the basketball. They went into the half only down four points while winning both the turnover battle and rebound advantage.
NBA: Golden State Warriors at Miami Heat
Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images
Sustaining this edge might have resulted in a victory for the Warriors, but things went off the rails for them in the second half.
Careless turnovers and decreased effort on the boards meant the Warriors didn’t have the personnel to get the job done in closing time.
Spencer and Post duo showed promise for Golden State
Spencer finished the contest with a remarkable 11 points, eight rebounds, and 13 assists. Spencer showed a tremendous ability to read and react while getting to his spots and making those around him better, especially his two-man game with young big man Quinten Post.
NBA: Golden State Warriors at Miami Heat
Five of Spencer’s 13 assists were credited to Post buckets, who finished with 19 points and six rebounds on 61.5% shooting. This performance from both players warrants more prominent roles off the bench in the next game.
Solid IQ, good defense, and abilities to play make and stretch the floor make for a potentially lethal duo off the bench for the Warriors, and with De’Anthony Melton expected to return soon, it’s a promising development for Golden State.
Warriors excited for the home stand
Head Coach Steve Kerr commended the Warriors’ efforts in the loss to Miami, stating he was “really proud” and adding, “I like where we are now better as a team, but have a lot of work to do.”
The Warriors now finally get to go home with a five-game homestand—no travel, a chance to regain routines and practice while relatively healthy—and that’s a morale victory for Golden State.