Brandin Podziemski

Brandin Podziemski has rapidly emerged as a top-60 prospect after averaging just 4.1 minutes per game across 16 contests with Illinois as a freshman. Transferring to Santa Clara led to serious scoring and impressive accolades for Podziemski. Donned the WCC co-Player of the Year, Podziemski averaged 19.9 points on 48/44/77 percent shooting. He's also an elite rebounder for a guard, racking up 8.8 rebounds per game to go along with 3.7 assists and 1.8 steals. Podziemski is a versatile contributor, but the selling point is a smooth stroke from beyond the arc, though his relatively short wingspan will make it tougher to get his shot off in the NBA. Santa Clara has been a reliable NBA pipeline of late, with Jalen Williams illustrating that Podziemski's big numbers aren't just fluff. His shooting is impressive, and he finished with 10 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in his scrimmage at the Combine. Being small in size and stature is a concern for Podziemski, who has demonstrated a knack for initiating contact (4.5 FTA/g). Drawing fouls and canning threes is a good recipe for success if the former can translate. Some combination of rebounding prowess, reliable passing and tolerable defense will also need to translate. That said, Podziemski's shooting sets him up as a bench scorer and sparkplug. A role of 10-15 minutes per night is realistically Podziemski's usage in year one. His rebounding skills are very Josh Hart-esque. Damion Lee comes to mind as another comparison.