Warriors' Brandin Podziemski identifies Gary Payton II's 'twin brother' on roster

Today at 12:09 AM

The Golden State Warriors, in the aftermath of franchise legend Klay Thompson’s departure in free agency, decided to return to their “Strength in Numbers” ethos. They signed multiple key pieces in De’Anthony Melton, Buddy Hield, and Kyle Anderson as they look towards filling the void Thompson left as a collective. Brandin Podziemski, in particular, appears headed for a breakout sophomore season considering the huge role he’s about to play for the Dubs.

But again, Podziemski is not about to do it by his lonesome. He will get plenty of help from the Warriors’ impressive guard depth, and they appear to be getting back to their stifling perimeter defense roots. The Dubs already had one of the best guard defenders in basketball in Gary Payton II, but then they added Melton — a pairing that Podziemski has been impressed with at the start of training camp.

“[Melton’s defense has] been good. Feel like he could be twin brothers with Gary. They both kinda look the same. Both love defense,” Podziemski told reporters during training camp, via 95.7 The Game on X (formerly known as Twitter).

"It's been good. Feel like he could be twin brothers with Gary."

Podz on what he's seen from Melton defensively pic.twitter.com/Jy8uinjjCR

— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) October 3, 2024

Something has to be said for the Warriors employing an iron sharpens iron approach. Podziemski said that he is having to expand his game while being covered by stifling defenders in Melton and Payton, which could only be good thing for the Dubs moving forward.

“So for me, being able to go against that and vice versa, me playing defense against them, has been great. I think the better they are defensively now, the better it makes guys like me and [Stephen Curry] during the regular season,” Podziemski added.

The best part about the Warriors’ backcourt depth is that there seems to be no skillset overlap among their players. Everyone can make each other better at certain areas, and head coach Steve Kerr will have the luxury to mix and match depending on matchups. The Dubs already seem to be reaping the rewards of training camp.

Stephen Curry and Brandin Podziemski lead the Warriors’ stacked backcourt

The Warriors’ title-winning teams have always boasted quality depth, but over the past few seasons, they have been stretched thin, thanks in large part to the considerable financial investment they had in their core pieces. But with Klay Thompson gone, it freed up the opportunity for the Dubs to load up once again. They have as many as 12 players who can be viable rotation players for them next season.

Steve Kerr has always prioritized skill and system fit over size, which means that the Warriors’ backcourt will once again be looked at as a major source of production for the team. Stephen Curry showed during the 2024 Paris Olympics that he has plenty of gas left in the tank, while Brandin Podziemski, on the back of an impressive rookie season, seems to have all the runway in the world for a breakout campaign.

But behind Curry and Podziemski, the Warriors have an embarrassment of riches. Podziemski already alluded to the twin brotherhood of De’Anthony Melton and Gary Payton II; Melton provides more shooting and ballhandling than Payton does, but Payton is a better finisher and cutter. Buddy Hield is also around to provide some top-tier spacing, while Moses Moody could also provide some solid minutes for the team at the two if more size is needed.

The post Warriors’ Brandin Podziemski identifies Gary Payton II’s ‘twin brother’ on roster appeared first on ClutchPoints.