Warriors Steph Curry replacement Brandin Podziemski trade
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 15: Brandin Podziemski #2 of the Golden State Warriors looks on during the first quarter of the game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on March 15, 2026 in New York City.
Golden State Warriors guardBrandin Podziemski has never shied from the spotlight.
Amid the numerous injuries plauging the team, Podziemski, a third-year player, is enjoying a career year after assembling a strong sophomore season.
His play has helped bring a level of comfort and future security for Warriors fans, who are beginning to realize theStephen Curry era is closer to the end.
As is the case with all confident young players, sometimes it is easy to want a moment back.
Podziemski has done plenty good so far as a professional, but he said something before the season he wishes he worded differently.
Brandin Podziemski walks back Stephen Curry take
Before the 2025-26 campaign, Podziemski was perhaps feeling a little extra motivation. He used that to channel some of his deeper internal feelings.
Coming off a season in which he averaged 11.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists, Podziemski was definitely in a position to talk that talk. But his comments may have rubbed some the wrong way.
Podziemski told the “Dubs Talk” podcast that he rightfully belongs and that he “can be a household name for the Warriors.” That was the part that raised some eyebrows.
Some questioned if he went too far there. Some even wondered if he was trying to upstage the Baby Faced Assassin himself.
Hearing the backlash that came with those comments, Podziemski appeared towalk back those comments in a recent interview with “95.7 The Game.”
“I think I could have worded them a little bit differently, but I also think how it’s perceived on the internet is a little taken out of context,” Podziemski said. “Your biggest strength can be your biggest weakness and I think it’s gotten me to this point and obviously with anything in life, there’s going to be pushback, people aren’t going to like you for what you say or what you do. But I’m just going to stick with it. It’s worked.”
It was brave of Podziemski to address those comments head-on to clear the air. If his original comments were disliked by anyone, he did a commendable job at putting all this back in context.
The 23-year-old rising star seems to be well-liked by his teammates, and his body language on the court suggests the great confidence in his game isn’t enough to convince him he is already on Curry or evenJimmy Butler’s level.
Podz clears another misconception
About him already being on Curry’s level, Podziemski also stated before the season that he wants to be better than the two-time MVP.
Surely, many weren’t going to let that comment slide.
To his credit, Podziemski also cleared the air on that.
“I think with that it’s just something you strive for, seeing the greatest player at the point guard position, the same position you are,” he explained to 95.7. “If you have the opportunity to be better than him, obviously anybody would and I think that’s where I was going with that, not that I’m going to be better than him. Just that if I can be, obviously, I would.”
Warriors fans should feel great about Podziemski. Throughout the adversity the franchise has battled since winning a championship in 2022, Podziemski has been around nearly each season since that title. All he has done is improve his play every year.
This season, he is up to over 13 points per game on a career-high 3.8 assists per contest. He has been available as well, having participated in 73 tilts on the year. That is especially commendable given how decimated with injuries Golden State is right now.
This year has marked another jump for Podziemkski, a growing fan favorite. As the years go by, he’ll be counted on more and more.