Although Brandin Podziemski, a rookie with the Golden State Warriors, was a deserving recipient of NBA All-Rookie First Team accolades on Monday, the 21-year-old’s most recent accolade is undoubtedly surprising.
Podziemski was one of eight players who received a single vote for the Second Team on Tuesday’s final voting results, despite the fact that no Warriors players were named to the NBA’s All-Defensive Teams as was predicted.
The lone member of the Golden State Warriors to be selected for an All-Defensive team this season was rookie guard Brandin Podziemski.
One voter overwhelmingly acknowledged Podziemski’s ability to draw charges; the 19th overall pick had topped the league in that regard, surpassing Jalen Brunson, Mo Wagner, and teammate Draymond Green.
Podziemski was fifth on the Warriors in defensive rating (of any regular rotation player), therefore his vote must come as a surprise despite that fact.
In terms of defensive win shares, thefts per game, and defensive box plus-minus, he was fourth on the Warriors’ list, third overall.
Out of the three rookies who received votes, the youthful guard was one of them.
Chet Holmgren, the big man for the Oklahoma City Thunder, garnered 21 votes for the Second Team, while Victor Wembanyama, the first overall choice, became the first rookie in NBA history to reach the All-Defensive First Team.
Golden State ended the regular season with a great showing thanks to Draymond Green’s defensive contributions, but the veteran forward was not eligible for All-Defense accolades because of the 65-game criteria.
With two separate suspensions early in the season that kept him out of 21 games, the former Defensive Player of the Year just had himself to blame.
Unsurprisingly, Green’s longtime nemesis Rudy Gobert led the vote with 99 First Team votes after winning his fourth Defensive Player of the Year title.
The Frenchman joins centers Gobert, Wembanyama, Anthony Davis, Bam Adebayo, and Pelicans wing Herb Jones on a First Team that is nearly entirely composed of large men.
On the other hand, the majority of the players on the Second Team were guards, including Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Jalen Suggs, Alex Caruso, and Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels.
