We all knew the Golden State Warriors were banged-up in the postseason, but their recent spate of offseason medical procedures shows they had more injuries than Steph Curry’s hamstring strain and Jimmy Butler’s pelvic contusion. First, Moses Moody had surgery to repair the UCL on his right thumb, on his shooting hand. Wednesday, the Warriors announced that second-year guard Brandin Podziemski had surgery on his left wrist.
Brandin Podziemski underwent successful left wrist debridement surgery yesterday in Los Angeles.
He is expected to make a full recovery and be ready for the start of training camp. pic.twitter.com/mUwG5w2stQ
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) May 29, 2025
What is a “wrist debridement”? It’s a procedure that involves cleaning a wound and removing dead or damaged tissue, loose cartilage, or whatever debris might be impairing his wrist function. A debridement is considered mostly non-invasive, meaning Podziemski can expect to resume normal activities within a few weeks.
The team never announced a wrist injury for Podziemski, who suffered a broken nose, an abdominal injury, and a back injury last season, and seemed to get hit in the face every other week. But his shooting did slip in the playoffs. In the regular season, Podz averaged 11.7 points on shooting splits of .445/.372/.758. In the playoffs, he scored 11.3 points and shot .364/.328/.708. He had a 26-point game against the Houston Rockets and scored 28 in the Warriors’ final playoff game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, but had his share of cold shooting stretches.
So having enough wrist damage on his shooting hand to require surgery might explain that slump, just like how Moody’s thumb injury could have affected his playoff shooting. Or at least that’s something Warriors fans can tell themselves as they explain how they really should have beaten the Timberwolves and, why not, the Oklahoma City Thunder, too.
There hasn’t been a wrist injury publicly disclosed in Podziemski’s career so far, but he was a left-handed pitcher in high school, also playing outfield and first base. Podz didn’t have a ton of velocity on his fastball in high school, but he threw out a good-looking first pitch at a San Francisco Giants game in 2023 that reportedly hit 86 MPH.
Podziemski supposedly threw a sick curveball, which after a few seasons of ball could certainly lead to some loose bodies in his pitching wrist. There’s no reason to worry unless Podz claims he hurt his wrist washing his truck but develops a sudden interest in motorcycle magazines.
Ultimately, it’s an ideal summer surgery. Not serious enough to affect his upcoming season, but useful for Warriors fans to make excuses for their team’s failings. Podziemski’s sore wrist and Warriors fans hurt feelings can all be assuaged by this procedure. If only there was a debridement for memories.