One of the most polarizing players on the Golden State Warriors is guard Brandin Podziemski. He is confident and brash and sometimes that can rub fans the wrong way, particularly when his play does not match up to his comments.

Head coach Steve Kerr was asked recently on 95.7 The Game what he and the coaching staff see in Podziemski and he gave a fervent defense of the young player, saying he is one of the team’s best defenders when playing off the ball, one of the team’s best rebounders, and is solid offensively even if he could improve in some key ways. 

Steve Kerr’s defense of Brandin Podziemski pays off in big way

Podziemski went out on Thursday night and had his coach’s back as he threw down an impressive performance against the Houston Rockets that helped the Dubs get an unlikely victory as they were banged up and still able to beat a superior opponent.

The Santa Clara University product put up 26 points and made 10 of his 18 field goal attempts while snagging nine rebounds. It was the kind of performance that his defenders will point to as evidence that he can be a solid contributor when given an opportunity.

Those defenders may have a point as the 23-year-old has been playing better in recent times. It’s clear that in Stephen Curry’s absence, he’s building more confidence as he gets more regular playing time. Golden State need that because they obviously struggle to score when their star point guard is not out there.

Right now, Podziemski may be one of the team’s best offensive scorers even though he can be somewhat inconsistent with his offensive output.

It’s become something of a running joke amongst the fanbase that the coaching staff likes Podziemski almost to a fault. Many think there’s a disconnect between what they think he can do and what he’s actually capable of, but that belief seems to be paying off.

With the Warriors in a state of limbo this season where they are locked into the Play-In no matter what, it’s a great chance to get the young guys like Podziemski a lot of playing time to really see if they have something to work with in the long run.

It also takes pressure off Kerr since the more games Podziemski has like the one on Thursday, the less he will be asked to defend his young guard going forward.Â