Warriors select Brandin Podziemski with No. 19 pick
With the No. 19 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, the Golden State Warriors selected Santa Clara wing Brandin Podziemski.
The Illinois transfer was relatively unknown after playing sparingly as a freshman. However, he put himself on the NBA radar a year later as the Broncos' lead offensive weapon.
Podziemski earned an All-WCC first-team nod and shared the conference's Player of the Year award with Gonzaga standout Drew Timme. The 20-year-old finished in the WCC's top five in multiple categories, including points, rebounds, assists, steals, and double-doubles. Podziemski tallied 20 points or more on 15 occasions. His 43.8% clip from downtown was the fifth-best mark in the nation.
Podziemski's versatile skill set was on display at last month's NBA Draft Combine. He finished just shy of a triple-double in his first scrimmage, posting 10 points, eight assists, seven rebounds, and zero turnovers.
Bio
Position: Guard/Forward
School: Santa Clara
College experience: Sophomore
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 204 lbs
Wingspan: 6-foot-6
Max vertical: 39 inches
2022-23 stats with Santa Clara
| GP | FG% | 3PT% | FT% | REB | AST | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | 48.3 | 43.8 | 77.1 | 8.8 | 3.7 | 19.9 |
Strengths
- Arguably the best 3-point shooter in this year's class.
- Soft touch on floaters.
- Elite rebounder for his position.
- Gets to charity stripe often.
- Makes high-level passing reads out of pick-and-roll.
- Comfortable posting up opposing guards.
Weaknesses
- Undersized for his position.
- Limited burst off the bounce.
- Had trouble keeping quicker players in front of him.
- Struggled to produce against higher levels of competition.
NBA comparable: Donte DiVincenzo. The Big Ragu had a higher-profile college career than Podziemski, but both players affected the game similarly in all kinds of ways. They each compete hard at both ends, shoot threes at an efficient rate, and can facilitate some of the offense.