Brandin Podziemski will miss the Warriors' season opener against the Lakers on Wednesday because of lower back soreness, removing a guard who had been expected to be part of the opening-night core. De’Anthony Melton is expected to start in his place.
The timing matters because Podziemski had played in all 82 games last season, a durability run that made this absence stand out immediately. He was one of 18 players to do it, and he also averaged 13.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists while agreeing to a five-year, $110 million extension in October.
Podziemski also missed the past three days of practice, and the issue surfaced after Anthony Slater reported he would be out for the opener in Los Angeles. He had played in all five preseason games, averaging 14.2 points and 3.8 rebounds while shooting 39.3% from 3-point range, which makes the sudden shutdown all the more notable.
The Warriors are already heading into the season without Jimmy Butler III and Moses Moody, both of whom are expected back later, while Kristaps Porziņġis is out indefinitely because of a private health issue. That leaves the Warriors likely to lean deeper into the rotation on opening night, with Will Richard and Brandon Williams expected to lead the second unit.
For Podziemski, the immediate question is not whether he played enough before the setback. It is how long the lower back soreness keeps him out after the opener, because the Warriors need him back fast if they want the early part of the season to look anything like the one they planned.
