Brandin Podziemski

Podziemski is one of the rare NBA guards who consistently out-rebounds most power forwards — his rebounding rate in his rookie year ranked among the top 5 for guards in the entire league.

He chose Santa Clara over offers from more prominent programs, a decision that gave him immediate starting experience and accelerated his development at exactly the right pace.

Podziemski grew up rooting for the Chicago Bulls and idolized Scottie Pippen for his two-way excellence — a player who did everything asked of him without needing to dominate the ball.

His last name, Podziemski, is Polish in origin — his family heritage from Central Europe adds a distinctive international flavor to a Warriors roster that already celebrates global basketball culture.