Warriors' Brandin Podziemski hits injury report before critical Celtics battle
Only five teams in the league have won at least six games entering Wednesday. The Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics are two of those teams, and the defending NBA champions will host the surging Warriors in TD Garden on Wednesday night. While Stephen Curry's return from an ankle injury on Monday night is a good sign for the surging Warriors, this team could potentially be limited after Brandin Podziemski was a late addition to the injury report .
Originally entering the day listed as available after leaving the previous game due to an illness , Podziemski has since seen his status downgraded to questionable as of the team's latest injury report. Now, his status for Wednesday night's game against the Celtics is certainly in doubt.
Podziemski left Golden State's last game in the third quarter against the Wizards, a game they won 125-112. Initially, no reason was given for the second-year guard's arrupt exit, but it was later said that he wasn't feeling well and needed the extra time to rest. Whether or not Podz's can play is now uncertain as a result of this illness.
A 6-1 start from the Warriors was unexpected. Everyone knows how good Stephen Curry is and what this organization is capable of, but Golden State underwent a lot of changes in the offseason in terms of their roster construction. Next to Curry, Podziemski was tasked with being one of the players to step up , and he has filled a lot of the gaps for this team as a shot creator for others, as well as a secondary playmaker on the perimeter who creates stability in terms of the pace of play.
In a total of seven games, three of which he started, Podziemski has averaged 9.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game while shooting 37.8 percent from the floor and just 18.2 percent from three-point range. Although his shooting percentages are down, the Warriors hold a high belief in the 21-year-old combo guard. His role is especially important seeing as De'Anthony Melton continues to remain on the injury report with a right low back strain.
Should Podziemski be unable to play in this critical matchup against Boston, the Warriors will turn to Moses Moody and Lindy Waters III as other options on the perimeter. With Curry still easing his way back from his ankle injury and only playing 24 minutes against Washington last game, it is possible that Draymond Green could see some small chunks of time as the team's "point guard," with Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, and Buddy Hield around him.
This game will be a huge test for both teams. Whereas the Celtics are looking to prove their dominance over the rest of the league, especially those asserting themselves early on in the season, the Warriors could certainly bolster their resume with a road win in Boston. After all, there is no better way to prove that you can be a legitimate championship contender than taking down the defending champions in their own arena.
That is what the Warriors will be looking to achieve on Wednesday, and they are hoping that have Podziemski, who is still feeling under the weather, available for this game.
