The Warriors ruled Brandin Podziemski out for Wednesday's game at the Lakers with a back injury, a day after listing him as day-to-day. The injury report lists an expected return of Oct. 23, so he is set to miss the opener but not much more.
What happened
Golden State downgraded Podziemski from day-to-day to out on Tuesday evening, Oct. 20, at 8:03 PM ET. The injury report lists the issue as back and torso. The comment on the report reads: "Podziemski (back) has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Lakers." Podziemski first appeared on the report with the back issue on Monday, Oct. 19, as day-to-day. Earlier in October he was listed day-to-day for rest on Oct. 7 and cleared on Oct. 10. The injury report lists an expected return date of Oct. 23. No further detail on how the injury happened has been announced.
What it means for the Warriors
The Warriors open the 2026-27 season at the Lakers on Wednesday, Oct. 21 at 10:00 PM ET on ESPN, and they will do it without their 23-year-old guard. Podziemski played all 82 games last season and averaged 13.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 28.4 minutes. When he has sat, the minutes have gone to Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler III, Moses Moody, De'Anthony Melton and Jonathan Kuminga in the backcourt and on the wing. The problem is the rest of the report. Butler and Moody are out with knee injuries, Kristaps Porzingis is out with an undisclosed issue, and Curry is day-to-day with a right ankle. Melton and Kuminga are the healthy options to absorb his role. There is no with-or-without record yet because the season has not started.
What to watch
The next injury report will show whether Curry and Charles Bassey are upgraded or downgraded before tipoff, which matters as much as Podziemski's absence for Wednesday's rotation. The expected return listed for Podziemski is Friday, Oct. 23. If that holds, he misses only the opener. Any change in his status for the games after the Lakers trip will show up on the next report, and the Warriors have not announced anything beyond that date.
Is Brandin Podziemski playing vs the Lakers?
No. He was ruled out on Tuesday, Oct. 20 for Wednesday's game at the Lakers with a back injury.
When will Brandin Podziemski be back?
The injury report lists an expected return of Oct. 23. The Warriors have not confirmed anything beyond that date.