“Game is very very very simple here and they make it so easy for me.” Jimmy Butler felt right at home last night as he wore the Warriors uniform for the first time and made his highly-anticipated debut. Silencing his critics, the star forward went off for 25 points against the Bulls and led his team to victory. While Jimmy’s arrival has brought a new energy to the entire Bay Area franchise, there is one player in particular who might have benefited the most from this trade. Brandin Podziemski!
Yes, Podz seemed to have incredible on-court chemistry with Butler, as he scored 16 points and dished out seven assists. Even Steve Kerr couldn’t help but appreciate the unexpected duo after the big comeback win, “Jimmy is an extremely smart player and BP is a smart player. So, you put smart guys together, generally good stuff happens. They really looked like they had a good combination out there because of their IQ and their feel for the game.”
Moreover, the head coach was so impressed that he even ran some plays that were initially not part of the plan, “We started kind of discovering stuff with the two of them out there, running some actions that we hadn’t really planned on. But Jimmy is so smart he just feels that, and BP is similar. So, it’s a really good combination.”
Even Warriors legend Festus Ezeli sees the Butler trade as a massive opportunity for Podz to shine. With Stephen Curry and Butler attracting most of the attention from opposing defenders, Brandin will get more opportunities to score. “Podz is able to attack in the middle of all that. Both guys are demanding attention, Podz is attacking… It’s just going back to that traditional Warriors movement and ball action. Those are the things you wanna see for the Warriors moving forward.” Ezeli remarked. Well, this could be the way Podz finally ends his sophomore slump and turns into the star Dub Nation hoped he would.
Can Brandin Podziemski live up to Joe Lacob’s expectations after Jimmy Butler’s arrival?
Last year, Podz emerged as a breakout star, making the All-Rookie First team alongside Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren. Sure enough, his performance raised Dub Nation and the management’s expectations, as Joe Lacob publicly said, “What can’t he do? We’re really excited. We think we’ve got a future All-Star. We really do.” Even Brandin revealed his All-Star aspirations after his dominant rookie year.
However, he has failed to meet those expectations so far. His averages remain similar to last year, at 9.4 points and a little over three assists. Of course, the Warriors’ constant revamping could be one of the reasons behind it. His veteran leader, Draymond Green, even blamed the media for Brandin’s sophomore slump, “What he’s trying to work through is y’all fault. It’s hard having a great rookie season and then coming back and having a second year as good or better. It’s tough.”
But the youngster is finally beginning to regain his groove in recent games. And the opportunity of playing with a star like Butler could help him take that next step to stardom. Podz surely has the talent to do so as he showed in his rookie season. He just needs to stay consistent and help the Warriors turn their season around. Do you think Podz can achieve that goal?
