SAN FRANCISCO– Confidence has always been one of Brandin Podziemski’s strengths. It’s how he transformed himself from the 19th pick in the 2023 NBA draft into an important piece of the Golden State Warriors in the twilight of their dynastic run– a player who’s worked himself into someone many see as the bridge to the Dubs’ future when Stephen Curry and Draymond Green call it a career.

It’s something Podziemski himself is striving for, as he told Nick Fridell of The Athletic.

“When they leave this thing, they got to leave it with somebody,” Podziemski said, “How can I have their trust? And they can go to [owner] Joe [Lacob] and [general manager] Mike [Dunleavy] and be like, ‘Hey, we want to leave it with him. He’s going to continue what we’re leaving.’”

“So, I think about that all the time, and I set myself up in that position to have that. And there’s a lot of other things than just skill that you need to be in that position.”

Whether Podziemski is capable of ascending to the level of Curry and Green, two enormous pillars of a team that won four titles, remains to be seen.

In two seasons with the Warriors, 22-year-old combo guard has averaged 10.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 138 regular-season games. He has a First Team All-Rookie selection to his name and also earned a spot on Team USA’s Select Team in 2024. It’s encouraging, but none of that screams future franchise star. It’s why a lot of the Warriors’ success hinges as he enters his third season.

For Green, the future Hall of Famer believes Podziemski can take the torch. But he also knows just how heavy the weight of that responsibility can be.

Draymond’s message for Podziemski

After practice on Sunday morning, a reporter asked Green about Podziemski’s desire to be the guy to carry on the Warriors’ winning ways. Green emphasized he likes Podziemski’s confidence and appreciates the respect he has for the veterans. But while Green expressed his belief in Podziemski, he also had a few words of wisdom for the young guard.

“To hear BP say that, it’s exciting, but as a leader for him, you also understand what that comes with, you know. And so with him, I say, ‘Be careful,’” Green said.

“Don’t tell people too much, because the more you tell people, the more they use it against you and try to tear you down, you know. So I think you know, you can look at the trajectory of this thing and where it’s all going, and we all believe that he’s going to be one of the guys that takes the torch and runs with it, but be careful.”

Green explained how the young guys on the Warriors do not get “crushed” by the media whenever things go wrong. That’s a responsibility that falls onto the veterans, the leaders. Green described that aspect as a “heavy weight” that Podziemski doesn’t need to go through right now because it heightens expectations in a situation where he doesn’t quite have the necessary opportunity to reach them.

“I don’t want him to jump the gun on that and allow people to use it against him,” Green said. “Then people start trying to speed up your clock and [speed up] what you should be. And I would hate to see that happen to him. Because if they try to speed up your clock, but you don’t quite have the opportunity to do what they’re trying to speed you up to do, then it’s an unfair shot, right?”

Draymond Green had a long answer on Brandin Podziemski’s desire to lead the team once him and Steph Curry retire.

“With him I say ‘Be careful.’ The more you tell people the more they use it against you… We believe that he’s going to be one of the guys that take the torch…” pic.twitter.com/0ELbcWQnGu

— Kenzo Fukuda (@kenzofuku) October 19, 2025

Green believes in letting Podziemski “run rampant”

Green wants to protect Podziemski from the outside noise. It’s not about him not believing in his potential. It’s about shielding him from the ridicule until he’s given the opportunity to rise to the occasion. On a team with Curry, Green, and Jimmy Butler, the Warriors are not looking to Podziemski to go 1-on-1 in isolation.

“The offense is built a certain way. You get certain opportunities, and this offense ain’t built for him to be that. Now, this offense is built for him to be aggressive, but it ain’t built for him to take it over. And if you’re in a spot where it’s not built for you to take over, and then people start trying to push that, you get screwed.”

Later, Green talked about how to harness and balance a young player like Podziemski’s confidence.

“It’s a slippery slope. You don’t rein it in too much– [it can] change the guy. So you just let them run rampant. And then when they f*** it up, you call them in, and you try to help them out, but let them run rampant.”

Green’s philosophy runs parallel to head coach Steve Kerr’s. Kerr has talked often about how the fire and passion Green plays with is what makes him special. Take away those things, and it’s not the same player.

“Trying to change confidence, you can’t give someone confidence,” Green continued. “If you take it away, are you just giving it back? No, you can’t just give it back. So I’d rather let his confidence go through the roof and out into the world. And then if you need to help pull it back in, that’s what you do. You build a relationship so that you have the respect to rank it back in some… I agree with people having confidence. You should have confidence. You worked your ass off to have confidence.”