SAN FRANCISCO – Brandin Podziemski grits his teeth, then purses his lips when recalling how the third offseason of his NBA career started.
The focus for Podziemski during the preseason has been controlling his emotions. Or perhaps more specifically, directing his competitive fire toward making plays and not arguing with referees over calls that will not change.
He had already received plenty of practice in dealing with disappointment well before the NBA preseason began.
Podziemski became a social media darling for his seemingly endless summertime sidequests – a boisterous Valkyries supporter one day, showcasing his new signature shoe the next.
He also learned quieter lessons that should serve him well as he enters the season as the team’s presumptive starter at shooting guard next to Steph Curry.
Podziemski underwent surgery on both his left shooting wrist and his core shortly after the season, rendering him unable to do anything basketball-related for two months.
“I had never had to get a surgery before in my life,” Podziemski told the Bay Area News Group. “You realize your passion for basketball. When that’s taken away from you, and you can’t do anything and it’s out of your control, you realize your love for basketball.”
Unable to shoot or dribble for much of June and all of July, the 22-year-old found another way to stay connected to the game.
He was a fixture on the sidelines at the Bay Area’s WNBA games, becoming an unofficial mascot for the Valkyries with a jersey for every player on the roster.
Podziemski made his presence known by protesting calls, cheering Valkyries’ baskets, taunting Caitlin Clark and making the trip down to San Jose for the team’s first home playoff game, which he considered his favorite memory of the season.
“Being a fan, it’s so much fun, especially when you’re on the other side of it a lot of times,” Podziemski said.
Golden State Warriors Brandin Podziemski celebrates a 3-point basket by Golden State Valkyries’ Chloe Bibby (55) in the second quarter of their WNBA game at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, June 19, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
If going to pro sporting events were a competition, Podziemski would be in the running for a gold medal.
He showed up to a couple of Stanley Cup playoff games in June, repping his Edmonton Oilers. How exactly did a kid growing up in Wisconsin grow to love a team based 2,500 miles away in Alberta?
The answer is surprising. Around 15 years ago, Podziemski and his family vacationed in Tampa Bay and happened to catch a game between the Ligtning and Oilers. Prime Steven Stamkos made less of an impression than the Oilers’ orange.
“I had no idea about hockey at the time, but I was like, just I like the color, the bright orange,” said Podziemski. “I was like, yeah, I’m gonna like this team, and I’ve stuck with them.”
Podziemski also made sure to keep up with his hometown Brewers. Although he has always been a big fan of the Brew Crew – he wistfully recalled the 2011 NLCS team as being one of his faves – Podziemski had another reason to be invested.
After unexpectedly sitting with a few of Brice Turang’s friends at a game between the Brewers and Giants last offseason, Podziemski met the Milwaukee second baseman, and the two struck up a friendship.
But aside from traveling back to Wisconsin a few times – including once to attend his younger sister’s high school graduation – and one trip to Turks and Caicos with his friends from back home, Podziemski was focused strictly on hoops once he was cleared to resume basketball activity on Aug. 1.
Shooting, dribbling, passing reads and defense were all on the docket, but the physical skills were not the priority coming off a season in which he averaged 11.7 points per game and entrenched himself as a starter.
“Skill-wise, we can say I need to do this, this and this,” Podziemski said. “But if they don’t trust you to go out there and be emotionally mature, it doesn’t matter what you work on in the summer.”
Golden State Warriors’ Brandin Podziemski (2) drives past Los Angeles Lakers’ Rui Hachimura (28) in the first quarter of their preseason NBA game at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Helping lead Podziemski was Warriors director of player development Seth Cooper, a fellow Wisconsinite.
For the coach, the biggest step was getting Podziemski to become aware that his constant complaining to the officials and up-and-down demeanor on the court were issues.
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“One of the things I always tell him is that he’s very smart,” Cooper told this news organization. “He sees the game and feels the game, but when he puts his energy toward the refs or certain things, it takes away part of his energy from knowing what the next play is, checking in on his teammates, knowing what’s going on the court.”
It is still very much a work in progress. In a preseason game with the Lakers, he vehemently disagreed with a traveling call and had to be guided back to the bench by Steph Curry during a stoppage.
But longtime coach Steve Kerr has been encouraged by his gradual improvement in this area. The strides he has made with the ball in his hands have been encouraging, too.
“The balance we’re trying to show him is to be aggressive, but to get off the ball early if someone is available, because he’s a really good passer and playmaker, and he’s a connector out there,” Kerr said. “He’s getting better and better.”
After the summer Podziemski had, it is easy to characterize him as the hotheaded, event-hopping two-guard who is still, somehow, the youngest player on the team while entering his third season in the NBA.
But he has loftier expectations.
“Looking at the bigger picture, when those guys are done, do they feel comfortable saying, ‘BP, here you go, this is your team because we trust you to do the same things we did,’” Podziemski said. “I’m working towards that.”