Lakers Injury Report: Warriors Starter Officially a Late Scratch vs LA

A key Golden State player is now on the shelf.

Jan 4, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski (2) celebrates with forward Klay Thompson (11) and guard Stephen Curry (30) after he scored against the Denver Nuggets during the second half at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images / John Hefti-Imagn Images

Golden State Warriors starting shooting guard Brandin Podziemski has officially been shelved for Tuesday night's first of two preseason meetings against the Los Angeles Lakers, reports Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

Podziesmki broke his nose during Golden State's 111-93 win over the lowly Detroit Pistons at Chase Center in San Francisco Sunday. Slater notes that he is still hoping to get fitted for his mask. The Warriors anticipate that he will return for the team's last preseason game of the year — which also happens to be the Lakers' final preseason game of the 2024-25 tilt, too.

The nose injury happened as a result of the NBA equivalent of friendly fire. Podziesmki was attempting to maneuver around Warriors power forward/center Trayce Jackson-Davis, a fellow 2024 All-Rookie Teamer, in an effort to get some separate between himself and his defender, Pistons shooting guard Malik Beasley.

Here's the play, via NBC Sports Bay Area:

Brandin Podziemski sustained a broken nose last night, per Steve Kerr.

Podz took a Trayce Jackson-Davis elbow to the face in the third quarter and left the game a few moments later. pic.twitter.com/FYDCtXuVpX

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) October 14, 2024

The 6-foot-5 wing was selected with the No. 19 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft out of Santa Clara. He made an instant impact, numbering as one among three straight rookies selected after the Lakers' own first round selection last year, project point guard Jalen Hood-Schifino out of Indiana. After L.A. selected Hood-Schifino with the No. 17 selection, the Miami Heat drafted another All-Rookie First Teamer, small forward Jaime Jaquez out of UCLA. Houston Rockets guard Cam Whitmore was the 20th pick in that draft. All three could have helped the Lakers' thin bench instantly last year. Hood-Schifino, a 6-foot-6 point guard who needs the ball in his hands to be effective (making him a bad fit alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis), only suited up for 21 contests, averaging just 5.2 mop-up minutes a night.

Across 74 bouts last year (28 starts) for the 46-36 Warriors, Podziemski averaged 9.2 points on a .454/.385/.633 slash line, 5.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 0.8 swipes a night. He finished fifth in Rookie of the Year voting. As part of the post-Klay Thompson Warriors, Podziemski has secured Golden State's new starting shooting guard role alongside 10-time All-Star and two-time MVP point guard Stephen Curry. The team is hoping for a major bounceback season, in an effort to capitalize on whatever remains of the 36-year-old Curry's prime. To compete in the crowded West, Golden State will need young talents like Podziesmki, forward Jonathan Kuminga and wing Moses Moody to step up while they're still all on their rookie-scale deals.

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