Podziemski Out vs. Lakers With Back Injury After Signing Five-Year Extension
Brandin Podziemski has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Lakers with a back injury, with an estimated return of October 23. The 23-year-old guard had scored 17 points in each of his last two games before the injury. His absence comes days after the Warriors and Podziemski agreed to a five-year extension, reported October 10.
By the Warriors Nightly Desk · updated 23 h ago01The story of the nightThe injury reportPodziemski is out for Wednesday's game against the Lakers because of a back injury, listed as Back · Torso on the…
Podziemski is out for Wednesday's game against the Lakers because of a back injury, listed as Back · Torso on the report. His estimated return is October 23. The back issue first surfaced on October 19, when he was listed as Day-To-Day. Two days later, on October 21, he was downgraded to Out. Earlier this month he had a separate line on the report: he was Day-To-Day for Rest on October 7 and then cleared on October 10. That earlier listing lines up with the October 7 game against Portland, where he did not play. The back injury is the one to watch now. The estimated return date is short, so the Warriors are treating this as a brief absence rather than a long-term problem. Until he is cleared, the backcourt plays without him.
02What he was doing before he went downPodziemski had a steady run going before the injury.
Podziemski had a steady run going before the injury. On October 16 against Portland he scored 17 points with 3 rebounds and 2 assists in 26.6 minutes in a win. On October 13 against the Lakers he put up 17 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists in 26.0 minutes, with a plus-minus of +7.0 in another win. On October 10 against Sacramento he had 14 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists in 26.2 minutes, and the Warriors were +18.0 with him on the floor in a win. Before that, on October 6 against the Lakers, he scored 16 points in 19.4 minutes. His one quiet night was October 4 against the Clippers, 7 points in 17.6 minutes in a loss. The pattern was consistent: mid-20s minutes, double-figure scoring, and the Warriors winning most of those games.
03The five-year extensionOn October 10, the Warriors and Podziemski agreed to a five-year extension, as reported that day.
On October 10, the Warriors and Podziemski agreed to a five-year extension, as reported that day. The front office locked him in before the regular season got going. A day later, on October 11, Warriors notes circulated covering Podziemski, Curry, the backcourt and Lendeborg. The timing says what the team thinks of him. He is 23, listed at 6-4 and 208 pounds, and entering his third season out of Santa Clara. A five-year deal for a guard that age is a long-term commitment to a core piece, not a placeholder. Nothing in the extension changes his role on the floor this week. The back injury is unrelated to the contract talks. But it does mean his absence against the Lakers is a short interruption in a plan built to run for years.
04Last season's numbersPodziemski played all 82 games for the Warriors last season, 2025-26.
Podziemski played all 82 games for the Warriors last season, 2025-26. He averaged 13.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.1 steals in 28.4 minutes per game. He shot 45.5 percent from the field, 37.1 percent from three and 79.7 percent from the line, with a true shooting percentage of 58.3. His usage rate was 19.6 percent, and he turned the ball over 1.6 times per game. His plus-minus was 0.2. Those are the numbers of a reliable rotation guard who stays on the floor, shoots a respectable percentage from deep and takes care of the ball. The 82 games played matters most in the context of this week. He did not miss a game last season, so a back injury that costs him a start in October stands out as an exception, not a trend.
05How last season endedThe last stretch of last season was uneven for Podziemski and the Warriors.
The last stretch of last season was uneven for Podziemski and the Warriors. On April 7 against Sacramento he scored 20 points with 3 assists in 29.5 minutes in a win. On April 9 against the Lakers he had 17 points in 24.0 minutes, but the Warriors were -17.0 with him on the floor in a loss. On April 10 against Sacramento he scored 30 points in 32.2 minutes, his biggest scoring night in this stretch, and the Warriors still lost. On April 12 against the Clippers he had 10 points and 4 rebounds in 21.1 minutes in another loss. Three losses in the final four games closed the year. The 30-point game against Sacramento showed his scoring ceiling. The early returns this October, with wins over Sacramento, the Lakers and Portland, suggest a better start this time around.
06What comes nextThe estimated return date is October 23, two days after he was ruled out.
The estimated return date is October 23, two days after he was ruled out. If he hits that date, he misses only the Lakers game. The injury notes from October 20 grouped the Warriors with several other teams dealing with early-season absences, so this is one of many October injury lines across the league. For the Warriors, the question is whether his back responds to a few days of rest the way the estimate suggests. He was listed Day-To-Day on October 19 before being downgraded, so the issue did get worse before it stabilized. Fans should watch the next report closely. Given his 82 games last season and his minutes load this month, the Warriors have little reason to rush him. A five-year extension means the front office is thinking about the long run, not one game in October.
Nesmith13.8 ppg
