Moody and Podziemski’s Impressive Play Puts Pressure on Warriors’ Roster Decisions

Moody, Podziemski making Warriors’ roster crunch difficult originally appeared on
NBC Sports Bay Area

Chris Paul’s regular pregame routine at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday preceded his absence from his second consecutive game due to a left lower leg nerve contusion. Similarly, Andrew Wiggins completed pregame warmups
but wasn’t able to play for the second straight game because of right index finger soreness from slamming it on a car door.

The Warriors are coming off a frustrating 113-112 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers where they once held a 22-point lead, and don’t play again until Wednesday. There’s a possibility that Paul and Wiggins will be back by then.

Rather than considering Gary Payton II’s strained right calf as a season-ending injury, Payton will be re-evaluated this upcoming Thursday, meaning he’ll miss at least one more game and likely more. The loss on Saturday was yet another reminder of Steve Kerr’s rotation dilemmas and the fact that 21-year-old Moses Moody and 20-year-old rookie Brandin Podziemski have to see significant minutes, whether the Warriors are fully healthy or not.

“I didn’t do it for them, I did it for me,” Kerr said after the Warriors’ loss when asked about Moody and Podziemski playing down the stretch.

Podziemski played the second-most minutes of any Warriors player, 36 minutes and 31 seconds, and was the only Warrior who played the entire fourth quarter. His performance showcased the many ways he impacts the game almost immediately.

…