SAN FRANCISCO — Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski broke his nose on Sunday night, Steve Kerr said. He’ll miss Tuesday night’s preseason matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers in Las Vegas.
Podziemski was a limited participant in the team’s brief practice and he also got fitted for a mask on Monday, Kerr said. The mask won’t be ready for Tuesday’s game, ruling him out. But after that, he’s considered day-to-day.
“He’ll be fine,” Kerr said.
Podziemski has broken his nose once before, he said, while he was at Santa Clara. That injury was worse because he also got a concussion on the collision.
But the experience is helpful because he is already used to wearing a protective mask. He’ll use a clear one so as to not impact his peripheral vision as much as a black one would, and he doesn’t expect to miss much time at all.
“Just excited that I can still play,” Podziemski said.
Podziemski, 21, averaged 9.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game last year, earning a First-Team All-Rookie selection. He led the NBA in charges drawn and was a constant in many of Golden State’s most productive lineup combinations.
Podziemski is Golden State’s best option as a backup point guard, but he also fits well next to Steph Curry in the starting lineup. Whether he starts or comes off the bench, Podziemski is expected to be among the Warriors’ leaders in minutes per game.
“I’m not a big fan of a minutes restriction,” Podziemski said. “If I’m healthy to play, I want to play as much as I can. I just always want to be available, so not being able to play tomorrow kind of sucks. Even though it’s preseason. But yeah, I definitely take pride — I want to always lead the team in minutes, games played, stuff like that.”
This offseason, Podziemski prioritized creating his own shot more, including off-the-dribble jumpers. He wants to cut out the floaters and hook shots from his game, emphasizing the more efficient shots on the court.
Podziemski said he feels like he’s improved, and has experienced that sensation while on the court this preseason. The game has slowed down for him, he said, and reads in the pick-and-roll are becoming easier.
On two separate occasions this preseason, Podziemski tossed over-the-head advance passes in transition that led to easy fast-break buckets. The Warriors want to play with more pace, and he has a knack for the run-and-gun style.
This preseason hasn’t been all smooth for the guard, though. He got a shoulder stinger in practice and got hit in the mouth against the Kings, causing him to leave last Wednesday’s game briefly. His broken nose came on friendly fire, when he tried to curl around Trayce Jackson-Davis for a handoff but ended up running into his elbow.
Sometimes, players can get thrown off by head injuries, particularly while wearing a protective mask. But Kerr isn’t concerned about that with Podziemski.
“He led the league in charges drawn last year for a reason,” Kerr said of Podziemski. “He literally sticks his nose in there. He’s just physically a really tough player. I talked to him, and he said he’s not worried. The mask thing, that takes some adjusting, to play with a mask. So we’ll see how that goes. But he’s not afraid of anything, he’ll be out there as soon as they allow him to be.”
Notable
— Andrew Wiggins is expected to return to the lineup on Tuesday for his first preseason action. The Warriors wing was under the weather during training camp in Hawaii and has since worked his way back to game-condition.
— Lindy Waters III, one of a handful of Native American NBA players, celebrated Indigenous Peoples Day on Monday.
“Me, Marjon (Beauchamp) and Kyrie (Irving), I would say, are the three main ones in the NBA that really carry that heritage with us. We take it upon ourselves to have that responsibility, to be there for our community. so, getting to celebrate that with everyone around us is amazing.”