In his rookie season, Brandin Podziemski led the Warriors -- and the entire NBA -- in charges drawn per game.
The fearless guard drew 38 charges during the 2023-24 NBA season, including a pair against two of the most dominant and ferocious centers in the league.
Podziemski discussed his charge-taking ability Tuesday on 95.7 The Game's "Willard and Dibs" and recalled which charge was the most painful of the bunch and which one was the most memorable.
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"Most painful would probably be the February after the All-Star break. We played the Lakers and I took one on Anthony Davis. He came full speed at me," Podziemski recalled. "That is probably one.
"And the most satisfying one was probably getting [Nikola] Jokić. We played Denver and we blew that 25-point lead or so. We were on that run and it was the end of the third quarter and I took one on him. Just to take a charge on someone who has such a high IQ and doesn't happen [to him] that often, I think it was pretty cool."
Davis is 6-foot-10 and 253 pounds. Jokić is 6-foot-11 and 284 pounds. Podziemski is 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds.
When asked if he realizes that he's "half a cup of crazy" and "nuts" for even thinking about standing in front of a player like Jokić, Podziemski downplayed it by stating he looks at every player equally and like just "another person."
Golden State Warriors
And ultimately, the competitive young guard will do whatever it takes to help his team win.
"It's something that I did ever since I started in eighth grade, seven years ago. It's something I was taught at a young age and it's just kind of stuck with me. Many people don't know this but when I started, I was a big man myself because I was taller for my age. So that's kind of where I developed the touch around the rim and just kind of knowing where I am down there.
"So I've always learned how to do that and it's just kind of stuck with me. It's a way on defense that I can impact winning and it does a bunch of stuff for our team that boosts us in the right direction."
Podziemski's defensive efforts -- along with his offensive contributions -- helped him earn NBA All-Rookie First Team honors, and the daring, gutsy guard hopes to build upon his rookie success in his sophomore season with Golden State.