When a talented player fighting a sophomore slump shows signs of busting out but then detours into sophomoric decisions, there will be a scolding. It’s the way of the Warriors and most of the NBA. Brandin Podziemski, to his credit, took it as it was intended.
When Warriors coach Steve Kerr lit into Podziemski on Tuesday night during and after a 119-115 loss to the Nuggets at Ball Arena in Denver, it was a sharply delivered plea that can be distilled into two words:
Grow up.
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Podziemski, 21, is trying. Sometimes too hard. That’s what got him in trouble. His timing – Golden State was heading for its fifth straight loss – probably added severity to the rebuke.
The Warriors had the Nuggets upside down, hanging from their heels, and were minutes away from dropping them into a river of defeat until a few missteps allowed the Nuggets to recover.
Podziemski made at least five of those missteps. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound guard fouled Michael Porter Jr. three times while the Denver forward was in the act of shooting, once on a deep 2-pointer in the first quarter, once more on a 3-point attempt early in the third quarter that prompted Kerr to leap off the bench breathing fire into Podziemski’s ear.
“He was kind of getting on me to do my job, to know what I’m supposed to be doing out there,” Podziemski told reporters in Denver. “And he's like, ‘If you can't do your job, we'll pull you out.’
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“I think I followed it up with a floater, a drive-and-kick swing to Wiggs for a wing 3, and then to pull up jump shot.”
Kerr hit Podziemski with a two-punch combo most coaches have in their arsenal, firm direction followed by a threat loaded with consequences.
“He just got on me a little bit, which I'm all for,” Podziemski said. “I'm trying to get better, and he knows he can get on me and I'm not going to respond emotionally. I'm just going to go out there and hoop.”
What alarmed Kerr at least as much as those two brain cramps was the Podziemski’s mindlessness at crucial points of the game. There was the third foul on Porter with 5:06 remaining. He made the 3-pointer but missed the free throw. There was the misguided lob pass in the second quarter that became a turnover, with Denver’s Jamal Murray getting a layup three seconds later.
“This league is unforgiving,” Kerr said. “If you think you're going to get on a highlight reel, show everybody what a special play you can make, it's going to be a turnover. We’ve got to hit singles. We’ve got to make simple decisions. And when we do that, we're really good. But when we try too hard try to make plays on our own, we get into trouble and that's why we ended up with 15 turnovers in a game where we had one through 20 minutes of the game.
“I didn't feel like they were forced by the defense either. No offense to Denver, but I'm going to look at those turnovers and I might see one or two. But almost all of them were unforced.
Murray’s layup was worth two points, and the silly fouls led to free throws for Porter that gave Denver five more points. Kerr mentioned both in his postgame rant.
“Podz is a hell of a player, but he – and I've told him this – needs to be a smart player,” Kerr said. “He's one of our guys who's capable of making really good decisions. He had a lob when we're up 12 (actually 10) in the late second quarter that was, frankly, insane. Five on four.”
Not mentioned by Kerr was another misjudged possession in the fourth quarter. With the Warriors up 109-100 and 5:14 remaining, Podziemski switched onto 7-foot, 284-pound Nikola Jokić and decided he would try to cook the three-time MVP. With Moses Moody, who was sizzling in the second half, open for a 3-ball on the left wing, Podziemski – who had missed 22 of his last 27 shots from deep – opted for a step-back 3 that missed.
Eight seconds later, Porter drained a triple that pulled the Nuggets within six and, moreover, caused Kerr to pull Podziemski for Stephen Curry. Maybe that was the plan all along, but Podziemski never saw the floor again.
“Part of being a good team is decision-making,” Kerr said. “It can't just be about talent or whether you make shots or not. It's got to be about decision-making. We have to become a better decision-making team. That's what's frustrating right now. Poor decisions are leading to poor possessions, which is leading to this losing streak.”
Kerr considers Podziemski a potential star, sort of a Manu Ginobili 2.0. Someone who brings enough energy and production that occasional errors are allowed.
But Podziemski has a lot of responsibility. He’s a primary ball handler and playmaker, a role further magnified on this night by the absence of Draymond Green. His every reckless decision or careless moment is too costly for coaches and teammates to ignore.
Was Kerr harsher than he needed to be? Maybe. But a message needed to be delivered. Podziemski understands that. Getting better is a process, but the tolerance for setbacks becomes lower with every irresponsible instant.
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