Steph Curry can’t help but chuckle at the rookie’s bold claims.

Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski with Draymond Green and Stephen Curry

The Golden State Warriors have found a gem in guard Brandin Podziemski, who was recently named an NBA Rising Star in the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend. With Klay Thompson out, Brandin Podziemski started alongside Stephen Curry and Draymond Green during the Warriors’ much-needed win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night. He had a solid all-around evening, finishing with 11 points on 5-of-11 shooting to go along with five rebounds and three assists.

Podziemski has established himself as a fixture in Steve Kerr’s rotation largely because of his knack for doing the “dirty” things, such as hustling for loose balls, going after rebounds, and being a pest on defense. The rookie is also confident in his abilities, so much so that he is anointing himself as a mini version of Draymond Green.

After the 76ers game, a reporter asked Curry about his thoughts on Podziemski calling himself a “mini-Draymond.” The two-time NBA MVP couldn’t believe what he heard and gave a hilarious and candid response to his rookie’s bold claim.

Here’s how the exchange went:

Reporter: “Brandin [Podziemski] has described himself as a mini Draymond Green.”

Steph Curry: “He said that? I love that guy so much… I don’t know about that comparison though.”

Stephen Curry couldn’t help but chuckle, but to be fair, it’s nice to see the confidence from the kid. He does make a bit of a point with the way he just scraps and is willing to do all the dirty work, something that rookies like him don’t normally do.

Nonetheless, it’s easy to see why Curry reacted the way he did. Brandin Podziemski still has ways to go before becoming the guard version of Draymond Green. Green has established himself as an all-time defensive player and is one of the anchors that has helped the Warriors dynasty win four championships over the past decade.