Warriors' $16,000,000 guard reflects on role with Steph Curry following backlash for Mavericks error

Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski has had a tough season with his new role as a starter in the Dubs lineup. He had a tough night with his decision making which led to some costly mistakes in the 143-133 loss against the Dallas Mavericks on Dec. 16.

Following criticism from coach Steve Kerr, he went to X on Sunday to clarify his earlier comments about teammate Steph Curry.

"To clarify and for further context... Steph is Steph and I've been very open with my respect for him on and off the court," Podziemski tweeted. "He's a legend and a [GOAT] for a reason."

"On the court you have to be cautious against over thinking every possession. You have to trust your work, do what the coaches want you to do, and make good IQ play ... A lot of time that will end up being passing the ball to a wide open Steph...," he added.

Podziemski's gameplay during the Mavs loss was more than errors in his decision-making. During the game, he was on the receiving end of a lockdown defense by Luka Doncic, which went viral.

The $16,000,000 Warriors guard, according to Sportrac, has been struggling with his shooting lately. He got called out by teammate and veteran forward Draymond Green, who advised him to "shut up" and stop overthinking.

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What happened between Warriors coach Steve Kerr and Brandin Podziemski?

This season, the Warriors have been experimenting with playing the team's young players alongside Curry. However, it appeared harder than anticipated, and Kerr spoke about the difficulty after the 113-103 win against the Timberwolves.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr speaks to Brandin Podziemski (Image via Imagn)

"This is how we've played for 10 years, and it's important for our young players to understand -- we don't need contested 17-footers with 12 [seconds] on the shot clock," Kerr said, adding, "That's a bad shot. I talked to our guys about that during several timeouts. It's something we have to recognize and get better with."

"When you have Steph Curry on your team, you pass the ball. Because if you pass it two or three times, the defense is scrambling ... We can either do that and win games, or we can shoot a whole bunch of 15-foot contested shots in the middle of the shot clock and be a lousy NBA team. It's up to us, and we are hammering that point home with our team," Kerr added.

Podziemski was then asked about the comments, and he gave a response that shook the NBA world.

"I don't really think. I just play," Podziemski said, adding, "When I'm out there and I'm open, I shoot it. If not, I make a play. I don't really look too much into. I know we have Steph Curry on the court and if he's open, I'm going throw the ball to him. I don't really look too deep into those messages."

Now, he has come to clear the air and provide context to what he meant. Despite struggling this season, the young guard is averaging 8.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game for the Warriors.