Warriors’ Mike Dunleavy praises Brandin Podziemski’s ambition – NBC Sports Bay Area and California
Steph Curry has been the face of the Warriors for nearly two decades, but who will be next to carry that burden once the two-time NBA MVP decides to hang it up?
Brandin Podziemski recently stated his desire to earn that prestigious role, showing a level of ambition appreciated by general manager Mike Dunleavy.
Dunleavy wouldn’t make a hard commitment to handing the keys to the franchise to Podziemski, opting to see how the cards play out when the time comes, as he further explained during an interview on 95.7 The Game’s “Steiny & Guru” on Friday.
“I think overall we like his ambition. That’s part of what makes him good,” Dunleavy told Matt Steinmentz and Daryl Johnson. “He believes in himself, he goes out there and shows it every night. So, overall, I love seeing him. As far as the future, it’s so hard to predict. I think from his perspective or any of our young players’ perspective, who knows how good these guys are going to be… we’ll see where things end up.”
“We love having BP. He’s been an integral part of our team the last couple of years, as well as some of the young guys that we’ve had first-round picks, second-round picks, taken, undrafted, whatever it is. We feel good about our young group. But who knows in five years what all of this will look like. So, we just want to focus on this year, putting together the best team we can do and we’ll cross the bridge of everything else as it goes along.”
Podziemski expressed his ambitious goal during an exclusive interview with The Athletic’s Nick Friedell, detailing how that confidence goes beyond just on-court ability.
“When they leave this thing, they have to leave it with someone,” Podziemski told Friedell. “How can I have their trust? And they can turn to them [owner] Joe [Lacob] AND [general manager] Microphone [Dunleavy] and you say, “Hey, we want to leave it to him. He’ll continue what we left.”
“So, I think about it all the time, and I put myself in that position to have it. And there’s a lot of other things than just skill that you need to be in that position.”
Podziemski is entering his third NBA season after being selected No. 19 overall in the 2023 draft, earning All-Rookie honors after an outstanding campaign in his first year as a pro.
The 22-year-old guard then turned in another solid performance in his second season, averaging 11.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game in 64 appearances.
While Podziemski has certainly displayed the characteristics desired in a leader, his long-term role will be resolved when the time comes. For now, his and every member of Golden State’s goal remains to put the Warriors in the best position possible to pursue a championship this season.
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