The athlete to watch | Curry can rest easy: his successor is Ginóbili's apprentice.

The Golden State Warriors will not be able to compete for the NBA championship title . Stephen Curry's dream was extinguished in the semifinals . He missed part of the series against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to injury, but it has served to help the Californian franchise discover a reality: the star point guard, despite being one of the most in-form players in the championship, can rest easy, as he has a generational successor who is also destined to mark an era .

Curry's muscle strain in Game 1 of the series against the Timberwolves marked the point guard's first absence from a playoff game since 2018, when a knee injury sidelined him in the Western Conference semifinals. It's true that his team has noticed his absence , as who could easily overcome the absence of their best player. But amid the drama, the best news is that Steve Kerr knows he has another star in the making .

Sometimes opportunities come in the most unexpected ways, and that's what happened to Brandin Podziemski , who has become one of the Golden State Warriors' most recognizable players almost by chance. This is how he discovered his great passion and, above all, that basketball could be his path to happiness, and how it was confirmed. Who would have told him seven years ago that he would be one of the hottest names in the NBA ?

Podziemski, born in Wisconsin 20 years ago but of Polish origin, was always passionate about sports. From a very young age, he was often seen playing in the streets or at school, albeit with a much smaller ball: his great passion was baseball . He played for several years, proving to be a more than decent athlete, but at age 12 something changed . After losing his team, he lost his enthusiasm for the sport of his life. He needed new experiences.

He didn't hesitate to seek out new challenges, and basketball crossed his path . Baseball was his passion, but he found the games tedious because of the speed of the game, and he was looking for action. So, after turning on the television, Podziemski had no doubt he would give basketball a try: "I thought it looked like a lot of fun and I had to try it," he declared recently. The problem? He was almost a teenager and had never played in his life.

Like any child born in the age of new technologies, he didn't hesitate to turn to platforms to watch videos of left-handed players, like himself , to learn. It didn't take long for him to fall in love with a name: Manu Ginóbili . Podziemski spent hours watching his movements, his shooting mechanics, and his footwork to learn. But despite this, he was a regular on his teams' bench . His height alone gave him a reason to get playing time.

At 1.90 meters, he started playing as a center but, little by little - and lacking to increase his height, he went out, until he became an outside player . A rotation player in high school, he arrived at the university as a squad member, a good complement. After passing through Illinois , he would sign with Santa Clara , where his luck would change: he decided to take a step forward and become the leader of his team. Not only did he achieve it, but in the 2023 Draft he became available .

What nobody expected is that Steve Kerr went for him with the 19th pick . He had a plan: to make him Klay Thompson's successor . He had a good hand, great mobility, and an excellent willingness to learn. As expected, he arrived to get into the swing of things... until everything exploded last year, curiously also against the Timberwolves: with Stephen Curry injured, the expulsions of Thomson himself and Draymond Green created a hole .

Kerr gave Podziemski the chance, and he didn't flinch in the slightest: with 23 points, he was the breakout player of the game . From then on, he began to get minutes and his contributions became significant, to the point where he became the fourth rookie in the last two decades to post the numbers he was getting. His coach was clear: "He's going to play every night. He's earned it. I'm sure he'll be a key player for us."

Since that day, Podziemski's on-court participation has increased exponentially , and his numbers continue to amaze. He played 74 games last season, and 64 this season. And, once again without Curry against the Wolves in the playoffs , he took a step forward. In the final game, despite being eliminated, Podziemski scored 28 points, along with six rebounds, four assists, and two steals . Who knows where his ceiling lies?