Warriors recalibrate expectations for struggling Podziemski with Schroder trade

Steve Kerr and Draymond Green have each separately admonished Brandin Podziemski in public media sessions as the guard has struggled to start his second season. But the biggest statement the Warriors made on Podziemski’s season was their weekend trade for Dennis Schroder.

Actions speak louder than words, and adding another ball-handling guard in Schroder cuts into Podziemski’s minutes.

“I think this is going to be a good thing for Brandin, ultimately,” Steve Kerr said. “When you look at last year — we looked at it today — he played 90% of his minutes with either Steph or Chris (Paul). He’s really ideally suited to be a secondary playmaker. Not the primary shot creator.”

Golden State still believes in Podziemski long-term. He’s only 21 years old and proved as a rookie that he’s a winning player. But it seems like now might be a good time for a bit of a reset.

Before the season, the Warriors told Podziemski they want him to get up at least eight 3-pointers per game. His revelatory rookie year made them believe he could both close games alongside Steph Curry and serve as his backup point guard. Joe Lacob said he sees the All-Star Game in Podziemski’s future, while the guard compared himself to Mavs MVP candidate Luka Doncic and threw his hat in the ring for Team USA in 2028.

After 25 games though, Kerr said the team put Podziemski in a “tough spot.” Bringing Schroder into the fold will put him back in a more familiar role.

The Warriors’ low-risk trade to package second-round picks to Brooklyn in exchange for Schroder is a bet on the veteran guard’s ability to play on and off the ball, compete defensively, fit in lineups with and without Curry and often close games.

Basically all things the Warriors hoped Podziemski would be ready to do.

Podziemski earned All-Rookie first-team honors last season by leading the league in charges drawn and posting the best plus-minus on the Warriors. He usurped Klay Thompson in the starting lineup and had executives at Summer League abuzz.

But after all the offseason hype, Podziemski started this season shooting 25% from 3 — a mark that has ticked up in recent weeks — in a sophomore slump. He has made mistakes Steve Kerr has described as “frankly insane.” Green urged Podziemski to stop putting so much pressure on himself to make shots.

In the Warriors’ most recent game, a loss to Dallas, Podziemski played only 16 minutes. Kerr yanked him after one of the ugliest possessions of the season in which he got himself trapped in the corner against Doncic and threw up an airball at the end of the shot clock.

Podziemski’s confidence is one reason the Warriors and other teams are high on him, but that belief has been tested by his slow start.. He has often been hesitant to shoot, and his project of removing floaters and hook shots from his game has backfired; he’s shooting 53% at the rim compared to 67% last season.

Schroder isn’t necessarily a Podziemski replacement, but he does have overlapping skills and plays the same position. He’s averaging 18.4 points and a career-high 6.6 assists per game. He was so effective that the Nets needed to trade him to get their tanking agenda back on schedule.

Because Schroder is shooting 38.7% from 3 and has always been a pesky defender, he’s a prime candidate to play alongside Curry just like De’Anthony Melton did before his season-ending ACL tear.

Lineups with all three of Curry, Schroder and Podziemski are likely too small. That means if Schroder plays the way the Warriors think he can, he’ll soak up at least some of Podziemski’s minutes, especially at point guard.

“Young players, it takes a few years to really figure out this league, where your advantages lay, what kind of player you are, what your identity is,” Kerr said.

“That’s all part of the process. This has been a really good experience, I think, for Brandin. To feel what it’s like to be a full-time point guard. I think it’ll also be really healthy for him to get into a more comfortable role where he’s playing as a secondary ballhandler on the other side of the floor when Steph or Dennis has the ball.