今年总版的旧文了，发现同温层没有，就趁热点转过来。 有些翻译可能比较硬，我把原文也抓出来贴在下面。 GSW官方专辑: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMPbe7hHLzE Podz也是今年看我勇比赛难得的看点之一。 Loony:他有一种觉得自己将会变得优秀的错觉。 ※ [本文转录自 NBA 看板 #1brmtQQj ] 作者: laptic (静夜圣林彼岸花) 看板: NBA 标题: [外絮] 勇士 Brandin Podziemski 的无惧心态 时间: Thu Feb 22 17:03:19 2024 原标题：The fearless mindset of the Warriors’ Brandin Podziemski: ‘He’s got a delusion to him’ (勇士队 Brandin Podziemski 的无惧心态：「他对自己有一种错觉」) 来源：https://theathletic.com/5273977 作者：Anthony Slater 全文编译： 第一部分 旧金山——在将近一年前的今天，当时是勇士队未来总经理人选的 Mike Dunleavy Jr 和 渐受重视的高层人员代表 Kent Lacob 坐进了一辆车，往南快速行驶了五十英里，来到了 圣塔克拉拉大学校园。 他们在该地的主要目的是要会见来自佩珀代因的潜在选秀球员 Maxwell Lewis。当时他打 得不错。他後来在2023年选秀中，以第四十顺位被选上了，但他并非场上表现最好的球员 。身高六尺四寸、才刚在选秀雷达里崭露头角的後卫 Brandin Podziemski 为了带领圣塔 克拉拉取得胜利，在关键时刻缴出了杰出的发挥。他得到了二十三分，但让 Dunleavy 和 Lacob 眼前一亮的是十八个篮板的表现。 Lacob 说：「当我和 Mike 离开球场时，当下的感觉是『嗯，这球员大概会是在首轮被选 上的新秀』。」 Podziemski在上星期五出战了全明星周末的新秀挑战赛。他以在十四场比赛中，能至少场 均打出十分、五个篮板、五次助攻的表现领先其他新秀，是入选新秀第一队的不二人选。 他在本星期迎来二十一岁生日，但他已经成功超越 Klay Thompson、进入勇士队的先发和 收尾阵容，成为主教练 Steve Kerr 最喜欢的五人组之黏合剂。该五人组在一起的一百零 七分钟里，共赢了对手五十七分。 Podziemski和勇士之间的关系，可回溯自当年二月的晚上开始说起。那是他们第一次开始 认真看待 Podziemski 这个潜力股的时候。在随後的十二个月里——其中有许多重大的转 捩点——他赢得了队内每一层人员的青睐，尤其是他的老将队友们。 Podziemski的未来近期在盐湖城的客队休息室内浮上台面。他目前是关键球员的雏形，但 梦想是要入选全明星赛，而在前方有需要突破的障碍和限制。但事实证明，迄今为止曾对 Podziemski有所迟疑的每个人都错了。 Draymond Green 说：「天花板很高。他还在学习、还在摸索。但当你开始关注那些即将 接替他的人们时……」 嘴绿攻下致胜的三分球。Stephen Curry 在球队拿下爵士後，正在更换衣服。Curry 的黄 金时期可能会延续到四十岁，但他下个月将满三十六岁了。在他年届四十岁时，Podziem- ski 才刚达二十五岁。 嘴绿说：「看起来不会一样。完全不同。但当他出现在场上时，你会感到非常舒服。对於 一位新秀来说，当他在场上主导进程时，你将能感受到舒适的程度。」 第二部分 到了五月，勇士队高层在芝加哥的选秀体能测试会上再次接触Podziemski。多数顶尖的潜 力股在场上不会有太多表现。他在体能检测中表现得比预期更好，选秀顺位上已经有所提 升、并得到首轮签的青睐。有些和他同位置的新秀可能跳过了试训，但他并没有。 他向以球探总管 Larry Harris 为首的勇士高层说：「我没什麽好躲藏的。」 Podziemski随後出场，并在试训上表现出色。他的身价再次飙升。亲身训练此後开始了。 Podziemski走遍全国，一心想给人留下深刻的印象。他去了休士顿。目前隶属勇士队高层 的 Chuck Hayes，当时正在火箭队工作。他记得 Podziemski 在训练中大杀四方，同时让 球馆内知道这件事。 「BP，」Hayes 在赛前叫道，「你记得在火箭队试训中向 John Lucas 喷垃圾话吗？」 Podziemski回应：「喔，是的。」 Podziemski 当时和退役控卫兼传奇发展教练 Lucas 在建筑物内争论「史上最好的左撇子 後卫」的问题。这是 Podziemski 获得诸般尊重之心态的早期窥视。 嘴绿说：「他整天只会讲不停。这是他平常会做的事。」 Podziemski之後认为他在迈阿密的试训也很成功。他觉得热火会在第十八顺位时挑上他， 但後来该队选择了同样受勇士看好的 Jaime Jaquez Jr. ，勇士则以第十九顺位选择他。 Podziemski认为他适合该队，但对本身在旧金山的集体试训之表现不感乐观。勇士队当时 确信无疑。 Lacob 说：「他在场上表现很棒，真的很棒。显然的是在场上做得最好的球员。」 勇士教练团随後带他到影片室，让他解析两场比赛录像。在这过程中，大家通常学不到什 麽东西，但他却与众不同。他们放慢检视了他其中一些关键的挡拆战术和防守动作。 Lacob 说：「他能够讲出对手的职员名单。不管姓名、倾向、对手的行动等，其记忆力令 人印象深刻。」 Podziemski在由勇士队分析副总管 Pabail Sidhu 建立的分析模型中崭露头角。他们对该 模型非常重视。Podziemski场均八点八个篮板的数据在他所属的联盟中遥遥领先。这为分 析模型注入了活力。当这一切整合在一起时，Podziemski在高层人员一致认可的最终选秀 榜上排名前十。 Lacob 说：「大家都认为他明显适合 Steve Kerr 的体系，但也一致认为他的能力不仅如 此。天赋、智商和个性结合起来，是值得一赌的。」 当初在选秀前排在前五顺位的 Cam Whitmore 有可能在第十九顺位时才被挑中，其他具有 价值的球员也是如此。但勇士队没有退缩。他们选了Podziemski。这是小 Dunleavy 作为 总经理的第一次选秀，高层一致都同意了这选择。 第三部分 在训练营开始前，嘴绿扭伤了左脚踝，因此无法出赛一个月。在他复出前的准备阶段，勇 士队在第二场比赛前的大清早，於沙加缅度安排了一场对抗赛。Podziemski未获安排从板 凳出发，因此他被安排和嘴绿组成一队。他们在嘴绿发生失误後，输掉了第一场对抗赛。 Podziemski向嘴绿喊话：「在比赛中不能发生失误！不能在比赛期间丢球！」 嘴绿吓呆了。在一整个赛季期间，该队的新秀几乎没有和他讲过一句话。 嘴绿说：「我当时想，『好，交给你了，没问题的』。我们在这里打了一场友谊赛，一场 让我做好准备的比赛，但他却对我大喊大叫，这对我来说，戳中了很多问题的源头。我当 时想，『你知道吗？没问题的，但要确保你能一直这样讲出来。』」 勇士队在季前热身赛期间，在洛杉矶多待了一个晚上。他们在洛杉矶大学加州分校校园内 展开试训。一次训练後，後卫们安排了一场「球馆之王」式的一对一对抗赛，只要得分就 能留下来。Podziemski的对手组合包括 Curry 和 Chris Paul。 CP3 向 Moses Moody 问道：「我们在UCLA，对吧？让BP得以击败我们。」 Moody 回答「是」的同时，回忆起来不禁咧嘴一笑。这位新秀在控卫的位置上给了两位史 上最伟大的控卫一记重击，并让周围的人都注意到了这一「伤害」。 CP3 摇着头说道，「他做了老虎（伍兹）的胜利动作。」 「我们走吧！」Curry 记得他嘲讽过，「那真的太搞笑了。」 第四部分 Podziemski 初尝 NBA 时的味道是苦涩的。他在夏季联赛期间苦苦挣扎，主要出在跳投和 花球。挣扎越多，雪球就滚得越大。 Podziemski坦承，「夏季联赛结束後，我曾有一点点的怀疑；但在七月剩余的日子里，以 及八月和九月，我开始反思、想着在成为队内关键球员的事上，需要努力的地方。」 Podziemski出席了每场由 Curry、CP3 和嘴绿在整个夏天期间举办的球团训练。自从八月 一日开始，他每天固定来到训练基地。尽管外界多都认为他本赛季的时间主要将会在附属 的圣克鲁兹勇士渡过，但他在信心满满地进入训练营时仍然坚信，本身有能力打出些许表 现来。 Kevon Looney 还记得这位新秀後卫在争抢篮板的事上拳拳到肉的情景。他起初要Podzie- mski 停止这样做，到後来才发现这是对方看待比赛及态度的一部分。 Looney说：「我记得在那些小型训练营时，他在练完之後会抱怨，『喔，我已经厌倦了输 球』。我就说，『你应该为自己能上场感到高兴。』他说，『不，我们得想办法赢球。他 们需要给我传球。』我就说，『呃，这我可不知道。』」 Looney在选秀後不久看到 Podziemski 的一句话，他说他想成为一个场均都能大三元的球 员。 Looney听後笑道，「那可真是太大胆了。但我知道威斯康辛州的大多数後卫都有这等疯狂 的自信，像是 (Jordan) Poole、(Tyler) Herro。他有一种觉得自己将会变得优秀的错觉 。」 Podziemski在密尔瓦基长大，他形容自己生活在一个「争强好胜」的家庭，父亲 John 和 母亲 Barbara West 不让他在任何方面占到便宜，他必须自己去争取。 Podziemski说：「就是这种竞争力，带来了自信。在知道了自己能在比赛中付出多少之後 ，何必还要以紧张、胆怯的心态到来呢？」 Podziemski在赛後待得很晚。他在休息室周围散步，和路过的每一个人交谈。在赛季初的 一场比赛後，他试图安排一次关於NBA 的常识问答，以从 Thompson 手上获取一些零用钱 ，之後在 Thompson 犹豫不决的时候，就比较两人的薪资。Thompson要他停止「偷窥」（ pocket-watching）行为。 Curry 说：「在展现力道的事上，驯服一头狮子会比赶一只绵羊来得容易。他最令人讨厌 的地方恰巧也是他最伟大的地方。他还是很好教的。这是很重要的一点。你可以说所有这 些话，但如果对教练的指导接受不来，结果将会适得其反。」 Podziemski跟随柯瑞进行赛後训练，并研究他之所以伟大的原因。据嘴绿说，他大概是球 队群组聊天室内中最活跃的成员，他还透过简讯告诉嘴绿自己要来找他。 嘴绿警告他，「如果我是你，就不会这麽做，因为我不会公平竞争。」 Podziemski随後给球队传去了一堆嘴绿的老照片，这些都是他能找到之最好笑的。 提到被简讯轰炸得不堪其扰的时候，嘴绿说「当时的他就像『砰、砰、砰』一样」，之後 又想起还没对他进行报复，「我还得对他的车塞满爆米花。」 在十二月下旬以低输出的表现败给热火後，情绪低落的 Podziemski 走上看台，把输球的 最大原因归咎於自己。任何看过该场比赛的人都会把他出色的表现排在後头。当晚 Curry 十五投三中、Andrew Wiggins 陷入低迷，防守漏洞随处可见。但他却将自己视作是当晚 的问题源头。 闻说此事的 Thompson 表示：「天啊，太戏剧化了吧，菜鸟。」 第五部分 Kerr对 Podziemski 的防守有最深刻的印象。在训练营中，他们在争球时跟踪防守。Pod- ziemski 当时领先全队。这是一个早期的迹象。 他的篮板数据也得到了体现，这对於一支以小个子球员为主的球队来说尤其重要。勇士队 是NBA 篮板第三好的球队，波齐姆斯基场均上阵二十六分钟，场均抢下五点八个篮板，仅 次於嘴绿和鲁尼。他比围巾和 Jonathan Kuminga 这些身型较大的侧翼更能无情地抢下篮 板。 Kerr说：「这支球队所缺乏的，去年所缺乏的，他都给了我们。连结、连结者、控球者、 切入者。他对场上发生的事情有一种感觉和认识，这让他在任何阵容中都能发挥作用。他 增强了整个阵容的实力。」 十一月下旬，勇士队在领先的情况下差点输给马刺队。他们赢了，但整体表现不佳，Pod- ziemski 也是第一次真正意义上表现不佳。他五投全丢失。Kerr赛後走进休息室，他以为 球队全员都不在，Podziemski也正躲着。 Kerr谈到年轻时的自己时，说道：「如果是我，一定会在公寓里窝上三天，怀疑自己是否 还有投篮的能力。但我进去的时候，看到他是最乐观的人。我喜欢这样。因为当你打得不 好，还能给球队带来活力，保持自信和豪迈，这就是一个很好的信号。」 勇士队本赛季迄今为止最有影响力的一场比赛发生在十二月中旬的波特兰。当时他们的战 绩是十一胜十四负，急需击败一支糟糕的拓荒者队。但Curry 一直在苦苦挣扎，他们也很 难赢下该场比赛。 比赛剩下四秒时，Curry 投丢了一颗罚球。当时比分落後两份的拓荒者没有喊暂停。Sha- edon Sharpe 在一次拼抢中将球推向前场，似乎有机会中蓝并扳平比分。但Podziemski抢 先一步，发起了致胜的一击。 （该场比赛，勇士以 118:114 获胜） 这是 Podziemski 第十一次使对手吃下带球犯规。这已经成为他标志性的防守动作。他在 本赛季让对手中了二十七次犯规，领先 NBA。他看过了排行榜，知道上赛季在该方面领先 NBA 的球员（雷霆的 Jaylin Williams），甚至在讨论时提到了近代史上一些最伟大的冲 撞者。 在谈到 Podziemski 的防守优势时，科尔将他与湖人的 Austin Reaves 对比而谈。 Kerr说：「就像去年夏天我执教 Austin 时一样，最让我印象深刻的就是他在防守上毫无 畏惧。而且他非常强壮。这就是他们的共同点。他们的体型非常相似。六尺四寸、身体强 壮。我认为这正是当今比赛所需要的。那些在防守上挣扎的都是身体不强壮的球员。如果 你的个子偏小，你就必须强壮起来。」 Podziemski本赛季曾迂回地将自己与 Gary Payton II 和嘴绿相互比较，这表面上看太过 雄心勃勃，但小手套和嘴绿似乎明白其中的大致意思。他看到了地板和模式，并像他们两 人一样有破坏的慾望。但这也有一个缺点——走步。 Kerr说：「他赌得太多了。这很好，但我们真的只需要一个人（嘴绿）这麽做。如果有两 个人都在做，防守就会一团糟。但我随时都会选择这样的人，而不是毫无意识的人。没有 意识的人站在弱侧，而那个人却在传球。他正好相反他能看到每一个切球他什麽都想帮忙 。我们只需要帮他简化，让他明白他的工作不是做其他人的工作。」 嘴绿补充：「他有时候会迷失。但事实上，我往往也会有迷失的时候。人们可能不记得了 ，但在很长的一段时间里，他们都无法让我防守射手。就像我们打鹈鹕队时，我晓得如何 防住 Anthony Davis 。当他们换上 Ryan Anderson 或 Nikola Mirotic 後，他们会有『 我们得把嘴绿换下场』的感觉。」 在最近一场对阵爵士队的比赛中，Podziemski 走得离 Jordan Clarkson 太远，之後在板 凳上从另一位高风险赌徒小手套那里学到了教训。 小手套说：「他看到嘴绿做了什麽，就尝试模仿。但我告诉他，当你防守像 Clarkson 这 样的问题球员时，你不能尽情乱跑。因为这是一个挥杆、挥杆、要求高命中率的接球投篮 。这都是一种感觉。」 在球场的另一端，Podziemski是一个追求低风险的球员。二月至今，他有五十二次助攻和 九次失误；一月间，他有四十一次助攻和十二次失误。最近的四场比赛，他的助攻数达二 十七次，失误数挂零，打破了新秀的记录。 但他最终的发展空间将取决於他是否有得分的能力。Podziemski的投篮方式仅限於三分球 、花式投篮、横扫勾手和偷袭上篮。他不投中距离，也不在篮框周围活动。在本赛季的一 些比赛中，他的三分球命中率很低，但在过去的十九场比赛中，他已经投进了十二球，将 本赛季的三分球命中率提高到了38.5% 。本赛季，他在二十八场比赛中得分上双，在新秀 中排名第六，并四次得到二十分以上。如果这能成为他接近全盛时期的常规基准，他的天 花板将继续提高。 Podziemski说：「我想成为全明星球员。你该知道，Jonathan已经迈出了真正进入这一行 列的下一步。看到他今年的成长，感觉非常特别。所以在今年夏天之後，我将把我的比赛 提升到另一个水平，做我现在欠缺的事情，并尽可能提高效率，我想我能做到。我绝对不 会在达到关键球员的目标後却步，尤其是在第一年结束的时候。我的职业生涯还很长。」 短评： 其中在UCLA时的对抗赛过程，感觉有点好笑... --

※ 发信站: 批踢踢实业坊(ptt.cc), 来自: 118.101.169.87 (马来西亚) ※ 文章网址: https://webptt.com/cn.aspx?n=bbs/NBA/M.1708592602.A.6AD.html 原文：https://theathletic.com/5273977 Brandin Podziemski profile The fearless mindset of the Warriors’ Brandin Podziemski: ‘He’s got a delusion to him’ Anthony Slater Feb 20, 2024 SAN FRANCISCO — Nearly a year ago on the dot, Mike Dunleavy, the Golden State Warriors’ future general manager, and Kent Lacob, an ascending front office personnel voice, hopped in a car and made the quick 50 mile trip south to Santa Clara’s campus. They were primarily there to see Maxwell Lewis, the possible lottery pick out of Pepperdine. Lewis played fine. He’d eventually get selected 40th in the 2023 NBA Draft. But he wasn’t the best player on the floor. Brandin Podziemski, a 6-foot-4 guard who was only beginning to creep onto the draft radar, made every significant play to lead Santa Clara to victory. His 23 points mattered. But it was the 18 rebounds that had Dunleavy’s and Lacob’s antennas up. ADVERTISEMENT “Mike and I walked out of the game like, ‘Um, that guy might be a first-round pick,'” Lacob said. Podziemski competed in the NBA Rising Stars Challenge at All-Star Weekend last Friday. He leads all NBA rookies with 14 games of at least 10 points, five rebounds and five assists, making him a clear candidate to finish on the All-Rookie first team. He turns 21 this week, but has already pushed his way past Klay Thompson into the Warriors’ starting and closing lineups, a vital glue piece of head coach Steve Kerr’s favorite five-man group, which has outscored opponents by 57 points in 107 minutes. The relationship between Podziemski and the Warriors can be traced to that February night. That’s when they first began to take Podziemski seriously as a prospect. In the ensuing 12 months — with a bunch of important inflection points along the way — he has won over every level of the organization, most crucially his veteran teammates. Podziemski’s future surfaced recently in the visiting locker room in Salt Lake City. He’s a prototype role player right now, but has dreams of becoming an All-Star. There are roadblocks ahead and limitations to overcome. But anyone who has doubted Podziemski to this point has continually been proven wrong. “The ceiling is high,” Draymond Green said. “He’s still learning. Still figuring s— out. But when you start looking at people who are going to succeed him…” Green points three lockers down. Stephen Curry is getting dressed after torching the Jazz. Curry’s prime may extend until 40. But he turns 36 next month. When Curry is 40, Podziemski will be 25. “It won’t look the same,” Green said. “Totally different. But you’re very comfortable when he’s out there on the court. That says a lot for a rookie on this team — that you feel the amount of comfort you do when he’s out there running the show.” The Warriors’ front office reconnected with Podziemski at the draft combine in Chicago in May. Most top prospects don’t do much court work. He tested out better than expected athletically and was already rising on boards, getting first-round buzz. Some in his position may have skipped the scrimmages. Podziemski didn’t. “I got nothing to hide,” he told the Warriors brass, led by scouting director Larry Harris. Podziemski then went out and crushed the scrimmage portion. His stock spiked again. In-person workouts cranked up. Podziemski traveled the country, intent on impressing. He went to Houston. Chuck Hayes, currently in the Warriors front office, was working for the Rockets at the time. He remembers Podziemski killing the workout while letting the gym know about it. “BP,” Hayes called out before a recent game. “You remember talking trash to John Lucas in the Rockets workout?” “Oh, yeah,” Podziemski replied. Podziemski and Lucas, the former NBA point guard and legendary development coach, were arguing about who was the greatest lefty guard in the building. It was an early peek into the mindset that has earned Podziemski so much respect. “He talk s— all day,” Green said. “That’s all he do.” Podziemski thought he crushed his workout in Miami. He figured the Heat might draft him 18th. They went with Jaime Jaquez Jr., also a Warriors’ favorite. Golden State was up at No. 19. Podziemski thought he fit, but didn’t feel quite as optimistic about how he performed at his group workout in San Francisco. The Warriors were sure. “He was great on the court,” Lacob said. “Like, really good. Clearly the best player in the workout.” The Warriors then brought him into the film room and had him break down two games of tape. They don’t often learn much in these sessions. Podziemski was different. They slowed down some of his pick-and-roll decision-making against Gonzaga and defensive possessions. “He could reference personnel on the other team,” Lacob said. “Names, tendencies, opponent actions. His memory recall was super impressive.” Podziemski popped in the Warriors’ analytics model, put together by their vice president of analytics Pabail Sidhu. They value it with increased frequency. Podziemski’s 8.8 rebounds per game led his conference. That juiced the analytics model. When it was all wrapped together, Podziemski finished top-10 on the front office’s consensus final draft board. “There was a belief that he was clearly a Steve Kerr system fit, but also a consensus belief it was more than that,” Lacob said. “The talent combined with the IQ and the personality was something to bet on.” Cam Whitmore, considered a pre-draft top-five prospect, was still available at 19. So were plenty of other valued players. But the Warriors didn’t flinch. They took Podziemski. It was Dunleavy’s first draft selection as general manager. The room agreed on Podziemski. Green sprained his left ankle just before training camp. He missed about a month. In his ramp-up to return, the Warriors set up a scrimmage in Sacramento the morning of their second game. Podziemski was out of the rotation, so they had him play on Green’s team. They lost the first scrimmage after Green turned it over. “We can’t have a turnover for game!” Podziemski told Green. “You cannot turn the ball over for game.” Green was stunned. They’ve had rookies who barely say a word to him the entire season. “I was like, ‘OK, cool, you got it. No problem,'” Green said. “Here we are playing a pick-up game, a game to get me ready and he’s yelling at me. That to me said a whole lot. I was like, ‘You know what? No problem. But make sure you speak up like that all the time.'” Green and Podziemski high-five during a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. (Alonzo Adams / USA Today) The Warriors had an extended stay in Los Angeles during the preseason. They had some workouts on UCLA’s campus. After one practice, the guards set up a King of the Court style one-on-one. Score and stay. Podziemski was up against a group that included Curry and Chris Paul. “We were at UCLA, right?” Paul asked Moses Moody. “When BP beat us in ones. ” “Yes,” Moody responded, grinning at the memory. The rookie was giving it to two of the greatest to ever do it at the point guard position and alerting anyone within earshot of the damage. “He did the Tiger (Woods) fist-pump,” Paul said, shaking his head. “‘Let’s f—g go!'” Curry remembers him taunting. “That was hilarious.” Podziemski’s first NBA taste was bitter. He struggled in summer league, mostly with his jumper and floater. The more he stewed, the more it snowballed. “I had a little bit of doubt after summer league,” Podziemski admitted. “ But the rest of that July period and August and September, I just attacked. I focused on what I needed to work on to be a role player on this team.” Podziemski attended every team workout that Curry, Paul and Green organized across the summer. He was in the team facility on Aug. 1 and a mainstay almost every day after. He entered camp confident he could make some noise, even if most figured he’d spend the majority of the season in Santa Cruz with the Warriors G League affiliate. Kevon Looney remembers the new rookie guard bashing into him and clawing over rebounds. He initially told Podziemski to quit stealing them away. Then he realized it was part of his game and attitude. “I remember in those mini-camps, he’d be grumbling after scrimmages like, ‘ Oh, I’m tired of losing,'” Looney said. “I was like, ‘You should just be happy you’re on the court.’ He’s like, ‘Nah, we gotta figure out a way to win. They need to pass me the ball.’ I’m like, ‘Uhh, I don’t know about that.'” Looney saw a quote from Podziemski soon after the draft that said he wanted to be a triple-double guy. “That’s pretty bold,” Looney said and laughed. “But I know most Wisconsin guards have this crazy confidence to them. (Jordan) Poole. Tyler Herro. He’s got a delusion to him that makes him good.” Podziemski grew up in Milwaukee in what he describes as a “competitive” family where his father, John, and his mother, Barbara West, didn’t allow him to win at anything. He needed to earn it. “From that competitiveness comes confidence,” Podziemski said. “Knowing how much you put into the game, why would you come in here nervous or timid?” Podziemski stays extremely late after games. He strolls around the locker room and converses with anyone in his orbit. He tried to set up an NBA-related quiz after a game early in the season to get some spending money off Thompson and then compared their salaries when Thompson was hesitant. Thompson told him to stop “pocket-watching.” “It’s easier to tame a lion than get a sheep to show some oomph,” Curry said. “The most annoying parts about him are the greatest parts about him. He ’s still coachable. That’s a big part of it. You can say all that stuff but if you can’t accept coaching, that’s where it turns into being counterproductive.” Podziemski trails Curry for postgame workouts and studies what makes him great. He might be the most active member of the team’s group chat, according to Green, and told Green he was coming for him via text messages. “I wouldn’t do this if I were you,” Green warned. “I don’t play fair.” Podziemski then sent a bunch of old photos of Green to the team, the funniest he could find. “He was like: ‘Wham. Wham. Wham,'” Green said of the flood of texts and then remembered he hadn’t retaliated. “I still gotta popcorn his car.” After a low-energy loss to the Heat in late December, a distraught Podziemski went to the podium and blamed himself as the biggest reason for the loss. Anyone who watched the game would’ve placed his decent performance far down the list. Curry went 3 of 15 shooting. Andrew Wiggins was in a slump. Defensive breakdowns were everywhere. But there he was pinning himself as the night’s wrongdoer. “Geez,” Thompson said when he heard about it. “Dramatic, rookie.” Kerr has been most impressed with Podziemski defensively. In camp, they track deflections during scrimmages. Podziemski led the team. That was an early sign. His rebounding numbers translated, which was particularly important for a team that leaned small. The Warriors are the third-best rebounding team in the NBA and Podziemski’s 5.8 rebounds per game in 26 minutes per game rank behind only Green and Looney. He gets on the glass more relentlessly than Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga, their bigger wings. “What this team has lacked, what it lacked last year, he gave us,” Kerr said. “The connection. The connector. The ball-mover. The cutter. There’s a feel and a recognition of what’s happening on the floor that makes him playable in any lineup. He enhances every lineup.” The Warriors nearly blew a huge lead to the Spurs in late November. They won, but it was a bad overall performance and Podziemski’s first real stinker. He missed all five of his shots. Kerr entered the locker room postgame expecting the team to be down and Podziemski to be in hiding. “I would have been holed up in my apartment for three days wondering if I’d ever make a shot again,” Kerr said of his younger self. “But I went in there and he was the most upbeat guy. I loved it. Because when you play poorly and still can bring team energy and maintain confidence and swagger, that’s a great sign.” One of the more consequential plays of the Warriors’ season so far came in Portland in mid-December. They entered a wobbly 11-14, needing desperately to beat a bad Trail Blazers team. But Curry struggled and they were having a tough time putting the win away. Curry missed a free throw with four seconds left. The Blazers, down two, didn ’t call timeout. Shaedon Sharpe pushed the ball upcourt in a scramble drill. He had what appeared to be a path to the rim to tie it. But Podziemski stepped in front and took a game-winning charge. Here’s the possession: That was Podziemski’s 11th charge drawn. It has become his signature defensive move. He has drawn 27 this season, which leads the NBA. He tracks the leaderboard, knew who led the NBA in that category last season (Oklahoma City’s Jaylin Williams) and even mentions some of the greatest charge-takers in recent history when discussing it. When discussing Podziemski’s defensive upside, Kerr compared him to Austin Reaves of the Lakers. “Like when I coached Austin this past summer, what stood out to me most is just that there’s zero fear defensively. And he’s strong as s—. That’s what they have in common. They’re very similar (in) size. Six-four and really physically strong. That’s what you need, I think, in today’s game. The guys who struggle defensively are the guys who aren’t physically strong. If you’re going to be on the small side, you’ve got to be strong,” Kerr said. Podziemski has, in a roundabout way, compared himself to Gary Payton II and Draymond Green this season, overly ambitious on its face but Payton and Green seem to understand the general point. He sees the floor and the patterns and has an appetite for disruption like both of them. But that comes with a downside. He roams. “He gambles way too much,” Kerr said. “That’s great except we really only need one guy (Draymond) doing that. If you have two guys doing that, the defense will be screwed up. But I’ll take that any day over the guy who isn’ t aware. The guy who isn’t aware is standing on the weak side while the guy is laying it in. He’s the opposite. He sees every cutter. He’s trying to help on everything. We just have to help him streamline and help him understand his job isn’t to do everyone else’s job.” Adds Green: “He gets lost sometimes. But the reality is I used to get lost all the time. People may not remember, but they couldn’t play me on shooters for a long time. It’d be like we’re playing the Pelicans, I’d guard Anthony Davis. Then they’d switch Ryan Anderson or Nikola Mirotic and they’d be like: ‘We got to get Draymond out of the game.’” Podziemski strayed too far off Jordan Clarkson during a recent game against the Jazz and learned the lesson on the bench from Payton, another high-risk gambler. “He sees what Draymond does and tries to mimic it,” Payton said. “But I told him when you’re guarding a problem like Clarkson, you can’t roam as much as you’d like. Because it’s a swing, swing, high percentage catch-and-shoot. It’s all a feel.” On the other end of the floor, Podziemski is a low-risk playmaker. In February, he has 52 assists and nine turnovers. In January, he had 41 assists and 12 turnovers. He had a 27-assist, 0-turnover four-game stretch recently that broke rookie records. But his ultimate upside will be determined as a scorer. Podziemski’s shot diet is limited to 3s, floaters, sweeping hooks and sneaky layups. He stays out of the midrange and doesn’t live above the rim. He struggled with his 3 for some of the season but has made 12 of his last 19 to up his season percentage to 38.5 percent. He has scored in double-figures in 28 games this season, sixth-most among rookies, and hit 20 four times. If that can become a regular benchmark as he nears his prime, the ceiling will continue to rise. “I want to be an All-Star,” Podziemski said. “You know, Jonathan has taken that next step of really being in that conversation. To see his growth just this year has been pretty special. So going into the summer after this year elevating my game to another level, doing the things that I’m deficient in now and making them as efficient as possible, I think I can get there. I’m never gonna just settle for being a role player, especially after my first year. I got a long career ahead of me.“ (Photo illustration: Rachel Orr / The Athletic; photo: Brian Babineau / NBAE via Getty Images) ※ 编辑: waderu (180.217.249.210 台湾), 05/21/2024 16:34:35