SAN FRANCISCO — When the NBA published the Western Conference Rookie of the Month voting for February, Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski was disappointed that his name was not even considered.
Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs won the award for the second month in a row, while Keyonte George of the Utah Jazz, Chet Holmgren of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Amen Thompson of the Houston Rockets were also nominated.
Podziemski, unsurprisingly, believed he deserved to be recognized and stated that the affront spurred him.
“One hundred percent,” Podziemski stated on Tuesday. “I played every game in February; we finished 11-3. Led our team and all rookies in plus-minus. All the statistics that look to help your team win,I took the lead in those areas. That is what is most important to me, and I believe it is the same for a team in terms of winning.
It’s difficult to argue against Wembanyama earning the honor. During his 12 games in February, the 7-foot-4 center averaged 21.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 3.9 blocks.
However, Podziemski’s name should have been mentioned at some point during the discourse. The No. 19 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft averaged 10.8 points on 43% shooting in 14 games while also grabbing 6.7 rebounds and dishing out 5.6 assists per game.
On Sunday, Podziemski took to social media and shared the results of the rookie of the month voting, along with a “taking notes” emoji.
