Closing out the NBA 2K24 Summer League daily schedule for the second time in three days, Sunday night was also the second time former Illini Brandin Podziemski and the Golden State Warriors were given the disheartening task of playing immediately after worldwide sensation Victor Wembanyama.
As the overinflated crowd that had only shown up for the Frenchman began to pour out, Golden State and the opposing New Orleans Pelicans took the floor for warmups. Greeted by only the most diehard of fans who wanted to stick around for the late night matchup, the No. 19 overall pick was the only former Illini to garner a starting role during day three.
The Warriors came down with the tip-off and got to work while NBA legend Stephen Curry observed from the opposite side of the court as a fan. It took a couple possessions for Podziemski to get settled in, picking up a turnover and a missed shot through the first 90 seconds.
But Podziemski was ultimately able to produce a positive signal of what was to come before the clock broke the eight minute mark. Flashing some playmaking chops that were absent in his two assist, five turnover debut game, Podziemski found teammate Jayce Johnson for a layup that became the first of many dimes for the Wisconsin native.
An early miss could not deter Podziemski’s confidence, as he ripped off two more within the next couple of minutes and in the end nailed his first shot from 27 feet out. However, even after the make Podziemski could not get into the swing of things and failed to drop another field goal before the second half.
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Returning to the first quarter, New Orleans subbed in two year Illini Tevian Jones with just over three minutes to play and he almost immediately picked up a steal. Whether or not there was something in the air has yet to be confirmed, but Jones himself was pulling off some impressive passes as well. By the end of the quarter, Jones had two assists compared to three for Podziemski.
The playmaking antics continued into the second quarter, as Jones pulled off a pretty looking no-look bounce pass in transition that unfortunately did not earn him an assist due to a blocking foul interrupting his recipient’s shot. Podziemski meanwhile picked up five additional assists, with the eighth and final of the first half being complimented by a hand goggle celebration with Curry himself.
Jones, who had just one official shot attempt during New Orleans’ first game, was not shying away from the moment this time around. A steady amount of shot attempts led to Jones doubling his game one scoring output by the third quarter. Although Jones went on to attempt and miss three more shots after that point, the confidence was noticeably greater.
Podziemski meanwhile came back down to Earth with his assist numbers, but being an all-around guard that just meant the counting stats were coming elsewhere. Picking up five rebounds in the third quarter and two more in the fourth put Podziemski at nine total on the night.
The final ten minutes did not offer much in terms of flashy former Illini excellence due to both parties struggling from the field, but with 7:19 remaining it was Jones himself who was the direct cause of Podziemski’s miss and he earned his only block of the game.
Both former Illini had difficulty finding their shot, combining to hit just five of their 24 shot attempts, but as usual that does not tell the whole story. Further examination on Jones’ shot chart will reveal that he actually shot a blistering 2/4 from deep and simply struggled when operating inside the arc. On top of that, Jones spent all 12 of his minutes as a hound on defense, netting two steals and a block.
Podziemski on other hand, did not have a particular area of from the field with extreme upside but was able to more than compensate elsewhere. As alluded to previously, Podziemski’s versatility on the glass and as a playmaker meant that when he painstakingly reached 10 points late in the fourth quarter, he was just one rebound shy of the most exact triple double possible (10/9/10). Drafted as a prolific scorer and having shown the ability to score competently at the California Classic Summer League, Podziemski’s offensive woes will likely be short lived.
Golden State will return to the court on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. CT against the Dallas Mavericks while New Orleans is scheduled to see the Phoenix Suns at 7:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday.
@blountco21
