The Podziemski-Melton band perfectly captures the new Warriors vibe originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
HONOLULU, Hawaii – As warmups drew to a close ahead of their first preseason game together as teammates, two Warriors battling to be in the starting lineup embraced. Brandin Podziemski turned to De’Anthony Melton at the layup line and opened his arms wide before the two smiled, laughed and shared a big hug.
About an hour and a half earlier, after days of remaining tight-lipped and refusing to reveal his plans, coach Steve Kerr finally told reporters that Melton would start alongside Steph Curry in the backcourt and also share the floor with Jonathan Kuminga, Draymond Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis.
The pregame moment between teammates was a reflection of what a week away in Hawaii entailed, as well as the time we spent together at Chase Center leading up to training camp. Bonding was a requirement and the chemistry quickly took shape.
On paper, Podziemski and Melton could have been bad blood in the battle for the same spot. As a rookie, Podziemski was the one who replaced Klay Thompson in the starting lineup and was introduced as an emerging face of the franchise. Melton was wooed by the Warriors, taking advantage of the mid-level exception by waiving Chris Paul and signing the combo guard to a one-year contract worth $12.8 million. The front office wasn’t shy about hiding how much they coveted him, both to Melton and among themselves.
Now he’s the first to be Curry’s new defensive buddy for the 2024-2025 NBA season, along with a nickname from Podziemski that he’s laughing about while still trying to figure out his reasoning.
“That’s my dog,” Melton says of Podziemski. “He calls me OG, but I’m not that old yet, so I don’t know anything about that. But that’s my dog. We actually cut a fair amount of it. We just pick each other’s brains, see what’s going on and I enjoy being around him.”
In the locker room after the Warriors’ 91-90 win over the Los Angeles Clippers, the never-shy 21-year-old Podziemski explained his thoughts behind his OG of a 26-year-old Melton.
“I’m calling De’Anthony OG because he looks old, but he’s only 26,” Podziemski joked. “It was good. We just clicked and vibrated. There is no ego. We just want to go out there and hoop for each other.
There is no replication of a Klay Thompson. The Warriors haven’t tried to replace him with a single player, though it’s easy to see how a combination of two newcomers could fill his role. Buddy Hield is the sharpshooter who can unleash an attack from downtown at a moment’s notice, as seen on his first shot attempt as a Warrior – a three-pointer after an assist from Podziemski.
Melton isn’t the same flamethrower from deep as Hield or Thompson. He can still more than hold his own offensively, and he’s the closest the Warriors have to a two-way guard, like when Curry and Thompson complemented each other perfectly en route to five straight NBA Finals before Klay was cut. suffered two devastating blows to season-ending leg injuries.
How he ties the game together was evident throughout camp. The disruption was especially evident during a sequence in the second quarter, when Melton kept a play alive and immediately found Curry at the top of the arc. The result then was Curry creating his alien gravity and giving up the ball to a wide open Melton.
Golden State’s first points of the game also came from Curry who assisted a Melton three.
“They look great together,” Kerr said. ‘I know Steph didn’t shoot well, but they look for each other. De’Anthony is a very good shooter, but also a playmaker and comes into the mix defensively. “I’m a really big fan of De’Anthony and I really like the depth of our offense.”
Whether as a member of the Phoenix Suns, Memphis Grizzlies or Philadelphia 76ers, Melton has often chased Curry around the court. Players and coaches have also let Melton know that they believe he should have been on the floor more for the Grizzlies against the Warriors in the 2022 playoffs, an act of admiration that he graciously smiles at and accepts without any shade to offer to one of his players. old teams.
Now that he and Curry are on the same side, he was reminded of what a different feeling it is to have him as a teammate.
“You don’t understand his movements until you’re on the field,” Melton explained. “One time he threw the ball and I was on the weak side and it came flying away and I was like, ‘Oh, I forgot!’ You know what I mean. It’s the kind of thing where you have to stay engaged.
“I think everyone is involved in this offense and that’s what I like about it.”
Their first outing wasn’t perfect for Curry and Melton. There were flashes. The idea why this might work is clear. Step by step, the Warriors are confident they have a new duo they can trust.
Just as they can entrust Podziemski with multiple roles on any given night. On Saturday, his role was to lead a second unit of Hield, Gary Payton II, Kyle Anderson and Kevon Looney, and later Moses Moody. Podziemski, like almost all Warriors, struggled shooting, but led the team in assists with four and was second in plus/minus at plus-5, making the pass of the game with ease.
“I don’t mind,” Podziemski said. “No matter who I play with, whether I start from the bench or come off the bench, for me I just want to finish games and be where the most important plays are made. When I start, when I get off the couch, it really doesn’t matter. I am proud to lead the second group.
“Point guard is supposed to be a leader. I think I did that today. … From a broader perspective of leadership and being a point guard, I think I’ve done a pretty good job of that.
Doing yoga together in Oahu’s North Shore paradise may have been a factor. Whatever it is, there’s a different feeling about these Warriors, one that’s far from ancient. There’s something nasty about them. Persistent. Stubborn. Together.
“We added veterans, but we feel younger,” Podziemski summed it up.
The quickly building relationship between Podziemski and Melton, separated by just five years and connected by a tongue-in-cheek two-letter nickname, is an example of the Warriors turning over a new leaf and bringing a fresh atmosphere to start a new era that has many excited are about. started.
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