Back in hometown during World Series, Warriors’ Podziemski ponders baseball career that could have been

MILWAUKEE – As he watches the World Series, Brandin Podziemski cannot help but wonder.

What if.

Podziemski is an established NBA player, a shooting guard who will likely sign an eight or possibly even nine-figure second contract in the next year or so after the team exercised its fourth-year option on Thursday afternoon.

He has been an integral part of the Warriors’ rotation since his rookie season, and after a slow start to this year, has enjoyed a string of solid shooting games and is averaging 12.2 points per game.

Dozens of Family and friends from nearby Greenfield, Wis. will be in attendance to cheer for him during the Warriors’ showdown with the Bucks.

But, not so long ago, he was a gifted high school pitcher and outfielder in Wisconsin, someone who dreamed about making the defining play on baseball’s biggest stage.

“When you’re a kid, when you’d watch it, you’d definitely want to be in it,” Podziemski said before Thursday’s game against his hometown Bucks. “I had that dream for sure.”

So what kind of career did Podziemski see for himself, had he gone the baseball route? Podziemski admitted he still would have, in all likelihood, been plying his trade in the minor leagues.

But the left-hander with a looping curveball and a fastball that, at least according to the radar gun at Oracle Park, sat in the high-80s would have modeled his approach after the game’s biggest star.

“Shohei Ohtani, nobody is him, but I would’ve tried to do as much as I can, because then it allows the manager to let you play first one day, then the outfield, and then if the guys need a rest, you could pitch,” Podziemski said.

The high school stats show that the 6-foot-4 Podziemski’s confidence in his baseball ability was not misplaced.

He batted .469 for St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy while driving in 10 runs and hitting two triples.

On the mound, Podziemski made five appearances, going 2-3 with a 4.32 ERA but also striking out 40 in just 22.2 innings. His best outing was a 10-strikeout complete game victory over Kenosha Christian.

But, rather smartly, Podziemski chose to focus on basketball after his sophomore year. Now, instead of slugging home runs or throwing wipeout sliders, he is scoring buckets next to Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler.

He still follows baseball, though. He considers Brewers shortstop Brice Turang a friend, but he’s keeping a close eye on the postseason even as his Brewers were eliminated from the playoffs. Podziemski predicted the Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto would throw another gem Friday for the Dodgers to force Game 7 in a thrilling World Series.

As for whether the Dodgers will complete the comeback?

“I don’t really have a prediction or care who wins, but I hope it goes seven,” Podziemski said.

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Other Milwaukee ties

Franchise stalwart and Wisconsin native Kevon Looney might now be playing for New Orleans now, but there are still plenty of connections between the Warriors and the city besides Podziemski.

Jimmy Butler played college ball at nearby Marquette before being drafted by Chicago, and Gary Payton II spent his rookie season and part of his second season with the Bucks.

Longtime defensive coaching guru Ron Adams was a member of the Bucks staff from 1998-2003, and current GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. spent two seasons playing for Milwaukee.

In addition, former Warriors guard Ryan Rollins scored a career-high 25 points on Tuesday while filling in for the injured Kevin Porter Jr. The Warriors drafted Rollins No. 44 overall in the 2022 draft, and was shipped to Washington as part of the Jordan Poole-Chris Paul trade in the summer of 2023.