Speaker 1: Welcome to this League Uncut.
Speaker 2: In the rule of.
Speaker 3: Twenty four hour NBA News.
Speaker 4: This you'll.
Speaker 1: Chris Haynes. It's so time, Mark Stein, it's some time.
Speaker 1: This League Uncut is underway and on fire. This should
Speaker 1: be a good one.
Speaker 5: Welcome in everyone to the latest edition of this League Uncut.
Speaker 5: Mark Stein and Chris Haynes together again, first time in
Speaker 5: twenty twenty four, and joined today by our first guest
Speaker 5: of twenty twenty four. He is a rookie, but you've
Speaker 5: surely heard a lot about him already. If you follow
Speaker 5: the Golden State Warriors, think you can expect to see
Speaker 5: him next month in Indianapolis at All Star Weekend and
Speaker 5: the Friday night game that features first and second year players.
Speaker 5: Such has been his immediate impact with his new team,
Speaker 5: and the best part of all on my scorecard, he's
Speaker 5: a southpaw, a fellow lefty. We will be talking about
Speaker 5: that for sure. Brandon Pazemski of the Warriors, Welcome to
Speaker 5: this league un Cut, and please tell me that I
Speaker 5: at least came close with the pronunciation of your name.
Speaker 6: Did I and the ballpark? Did you did a good Yes?
Speaker 3: Well I cheated.
Speaker 5: Ray Rider told me just say gem in the middle
Speaker 5: and you'll get you'll be close. When the season started,
Speaker 5: you and Trace Jackson Davis, I think the expectation was
Speaker 5: that both of you guys would be spending a fair
Speaker 5: amount of time in Santa Cruz. And now here we
Speaker 5: are and you're both rotation players. How did how did
Speaker 5: you guys change things so quickly?
Speaker 7: Well, some of it comes down to, you know, injury suspensions,
Speaker 7: stuff like that, but I think through camp me and
Speaker 7: him kind of talked to them. We kind of felt like,
Speaker 7: you know, we could have a spot on this team
Speaker 7: just from the different things that we brought that maybe
Speaker 7: we didn't have on the floor. But like like you said,
Speaker 7: we spent some time in Santa Cruz, did our thing
Speaker 7: therein I think are off the court things that we
Speaker 7: brought to the table allowed us to be with the
Speaker 7: team more often. And then you know, through being with
Speaker 7: the team, guys who set out sometimes just getting that opportunity,
Speaker 7: and then we did just kind of taking full advantage
Speaker 7: of it.
Speaker 2: Uh, Brian, I want you to I want to take people
Speaker 2: behind the scenes and kind of go back a little bit.
Speaker 4: Uh your college careers.
Speaker 2: You came into the league a little unorthodox path on
Speaker 2: how you got here? Uh, you started off at Illinois
Speaker 2: before transferring to Santa Clair, play in one year at
Speaker 2: Santa Clair and in in the draft and becoming a
Speaker 2: first round pick. That doesn't happen too often, go from
Speaker 2: a high major to a mid major. Can you walk
Speaker 2: me through? I know you probably talked about it before,
Speaker 2: but can you walk walk our listeners through why you
Speaker 2: are elected to transfer? I know you didn't get much run,
Speaker 2: you didn't get much burn your freshman year at Illinois.
Speaker 2: Can he walked me through that process, because ultimately it
Speaker 2: looked like it was ended up being a great decision
Speaker 2: for you.
Speaker 6: Yeah.
Speaker 7: I think obviously the big part of it wasn't playing
Speaker 7: the freshman year and not wanting to come back, and
Speaker 7: you know, not having a so called guarantee that I
Speaker 7: was going to play my sophomore either, And that just
Speaker 7: means in terms of a draft stock, that I'm a
Speaker 7: year older and I just wanted to play in the
Speaker 7: system that was more NBA typical and I feel like
Speaker 7: Big ten basketball isn't really that, and I still don't
Speaker 7: think it is now. And so the WCC I think
Speaker 7: was a perfect spot for me, just because the amount
Speaker 7: of pro players that they get the underrated pro players
Speaker 7: that they get, and they all play fast tempo.
Speaker 6: What's what the NBA is today?
Speaker 2: Can you go back on that on the big team,
Speaker 2: what do you see like, explain like their offense, Explain
Speaker 2: their structure. Why you felt like it wasn't conducive to uh,
Speaker 2: you know, being able to hit the NBA path.
Speaker 6: Yeah, I think you look at a lot of those teams.
Speaker 7: They're really good in the half court p doing specific
Speaker 7: I mean even now today with Zach Edy, they're really
Speaker 7: good in half court offense, and it's just slow. You
Speaker 7: look at guys like Hunter Dickinson, Zach Edy, Kofi Kobur
Speaker 7: and my teammate at Illinois, all those guys that are
Speaker 7: like all Americans in college, but it is kind of
Speaker 7: hard for them to translate their skills to the NBA level.
Speaker 7: You know, obviously you got the eye man's out like
Speaker 7: the j Navies, the Sumus guys like that, the guys
Speaker 7: from Michigan State because they play fast. But I just
Speaker 7: felt like I didn't want to, you know, be in
Speaker 7: the corner as much as I was at Illinois, and
Speaker 7: I wanted the ball in my hands a little bit
Speaker 7: more to show what I could do.
Speaker 5: I've heard in other interviews you've given where you said
Speaker 5: that this time of year ago you weren't on draft
Speaker 5: boards at all.
Speaker 3: I am not a draft guy.
Speaker 5: I am fully focused on the day to day in
Speaker 5: the NBA, and I've been saying for years that to
Speaker 5: cover the draft properly now you really need to be
Speaker 5: fully focused on the draft because that in itself has
Speaker 5: become like a twenty four to seven, three sixty five gig.
Speaker 5: But you you really weren't on draft boards a year ago.
Speaker 7: Yeah, Actually around this time, probably like mid January, is
Speaker 7: when I first saw my name on the draft board,
Speaker 7: and I think it was like forty six or forty seven.
Speaker 7: But you know, when I send out that tweet last month,
Speaker 7: I think I wasn't on any and honestly, going into
Speaker 7: Santa Clara and my goal was to play two years
Speaker 7: there and kind of do what Jaylen Williams did come
Speaker 7: out after your junior year, and you know, try to
Speaker 7: be a lottery pick, which I still think if I
Speaker 7: went back this year, I would be allowed to pick
Speaker 7: this year. But yeah, that was my plan. I didn't
Speaker 7: have any people on their draft boards, but you know,
Speaker 7: I just fought through it. And controlled what I could control.
Speaker 5: So when you're in that situation and you obviously have
Speaker 5: NBA aspirations, how often do you look at the draft boards?
Speaker 5: And how do you not let it discourage you if
Speaker 5: what you're seeing is not what you want to see?
Speaker 6: Oh?
Speaker 7: I look all the time, just you know, a little
Speaker 7: bit more motivation to see my name on there, and
Speaker 7: if it's not as high as I want it to be,
Speaker 7: even more motivation. And just seeing the guys that I
Speaker 7: was behind going into the draft process and to see
Speaker 7: where I am now playing and which guys are actually
Speaker 7: even playing. I think, you know, I've always had that
Speaker 7: full belief in myself that you know, I'd be a
Speaker 7: top five rookie in this draft class.
Speaker 5: And then if we rewind a year and then fast
Speaker 5: forward six months, now you're a Santa Clara kid drafted
Speaker 5: by the Warriors on Draft night? Going into the draft,
Speaker 5: what were you being told? What were your expectations that night?
Speaker 5: Where did you think you were going to land?
Speaker 6: Yeah?
Speaker 7: I knew I wasn't going to fall past Brooklyn. I
Speaker 7: had a really good work out with them, and they
Speaker 7: had picks twenty one and twenty two, So I wish
Speaker 7: I was gonna go there. Atlanta really liked me Toronto,
Speaker 7: so I knew it could have been as high as
Speaker 7: thirteen at Toronto and as far back as twenty two.
Speaker 7: So just anywhere in that range. I know, uh, Sposa
Speaker 7: and Steve talked like about our picks. If of Miami
Speaker 7: would have chose me, they would have chose how may
Speaker 7: so really anywhere, it didn't really matter. It was just
Speaker 7: a matter of opportunity and best fit for me.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I was told, you know, V I was told
Speaker 2: it was around summer league for you guys. You guys,
Speaker 2: I think you guys had just finished a I don't
Speaker 2: know if it was a walkthrough, maybe a summer league
Speaker 2: practice in Vegas, and Chris Paul and Stephen Curry were there,
Speaker 2: and I was told like after one of those workouts. Again,
Speaker 2: I don't know if if it was a summer league
Speaker 2: practice or walk through, but you stayed around to watch
Speaker 2: those guys.
Speaker 4: Why why was that?
Speaker 7: Well, just looking past summer league, it was just kind
Speaker 7: of like, these are the guys that I want to
Speaker 7: be around. These are the guys that I'm going to
Speaker 7: be around, and if I want to play, these are
Speaker 7: the guys that we'll be playing with and just to
Speaker 7: see their habits, their routine, even just that one time,
Speaker 7: I think it was after one of our shoot arounds
Speaker 7: because we had a game later that night. Uh, just
Speaker 7: to see their habits and stuff like that. I think
Speaker 7: it was super important and it's super important to kind
Speaker 7: of start that relationship early in July. So yeah, I
Speaker 7: thought it was. It was something I needed to do,
Speaker 7: something that I'm always willing to do, something I do.
Speaker 7: You know, every day when Steph forms out before the game,
Speaker 7: I'm always out there watching them.
Speaker 6: So I just think it's important.
Speaker 7: To you know, if you want to be the best,
Speaker 7: you gotta you gotta seek out, seek out the best.
Speaker 2: You know, we're insiders here, so we're paid to, you know,
Speaker 2: to get to uh get some information, get get some
Speaker 2: entail about what's going on behind the scenes. I was
Speaker 2: also told that you talk about always wanting to uh
Speaker 2: pick their brain and try to try to see where
Speaker 2: you fit with those guys. You guys play ones a lot. Uh.
Speaker 2: I was told that you one for ones everybody. I
Speaker 2: believe that's the one on one games and everything that's
Speaker 2: that involved this. This particular Ones game I think involved
Speaker 2: Steph Chris Paul think maybe all of them, so you
Speaker 2: already know what I'm talking about, all of them. I
Speaker 2: heard I heard you got one. I heard you got one.
Speaker 2: I think this was a mini cap. Explain explain what happened.
Speaker 2: I heard it was like a hook shot, the last
Speaker 2: look shot. Can you explain that? That that game right there?
Speaker 6: Yeah, So we were in LA. We had a little
Speaker 6: players only mini camp.
Speaker 7: We're at u C l A and we had just
Speaker 7: got down playing fives and I think everybody but the
Speaker 7: bigs so maybe Trace, Loon, Dario and Draymond didn't play,
Speaker 7: and everybody else about eight or nine of us and
Speaker 7: we played seven spots and it was kind of like
Speaker 7: first of two wins. And yeah, I hit him with
Speaker 7: the hook shot for game. I make sure everybody knew
Speaker 7: about it.
Speaker 2: That's what I heard about it. Heard he had a
Speaker 2: fist pump and everything. Who was that game? Who's that
Speaker 2: game with a shotow?
Speaker 6: I think it might have been Gary Payton.
Speaker 4: I think okay, GP two GP two.
Speaker 2: I bring that up because I think everybody they see
Speaker 2: the fire in the passing that you play with and uh,
Speaker 2: you know, when I heard that story, I'm like, Okay,
Speaker 2: you know his Teammateshi get it too, you know, so
Speaker 2: you know, I think that resonated with a lot of people.
Speaker 5: Oh how did you get a locker next to Steph?
Speaker 5: I haven't been to Chase Center in a long time,
Speaker 5: but I was told that your locker stall is right
Speaker 5: beside number thirties.
Speaker 6: Yeah. I think maybe just lucky to draw.
Speaker 7: Obviously we had just traded uh Patrick Baldwin. I think
Speaker 7: that was his locker before me, and kind of just
Speaker 7: replaced that I could have been where. I didn't really
Speaker 7: get a choice. I just walked in. I saw my
Speaker 7: name next to him, and I was like, it's pretty fitting.
Speaker 5: So you love those big media crowds that probably invade
Speaker 5: your space?
Speaker 3: Or is Steph?
Speaker 5: Maybe Steph is doing completely podium now so you don't
Speaker 5: have us media.
Speaker 7: Yeah, yeah, he does a good job, but I'm kind
Speaker 7: of giving us our space mostly on the podium now.
Speaker 7: But it's definitely a pleasure to have him around just
Speaker 7: to I don't have to walk across the locker room
Speaker 7: to ask him something.
Speaker 6: He's just right there.
Speaker 5: So yeah, So who on the team would be described,
Speaker 5: Who of the veterans who would say that's my rook.
Speaker 7: Probably Steph early on It was definitely Draymond for sure.
Speaker 7: Try to pick it as many things I could from
Speaker 7: him and Gary defensively, and I think I've improved vastly
Speaker 7: since Summer League on the defensive end, and then you
Speaker 7: know Stephan CP obviously my position, just learning the ins
Speaker 7: and outs of the NBA game, just little things that
Speaker 7: maybe you know, traditional rookies don't think about three for twos,
Speaker 7: two for ones, knowing time and score, all that kind
Speaker 7: of stuff.
Speaker 6: So I won't say anybody in particular.
Speaker 7: They've all done a good job of letting me know
Speaker 7: about the NBA life, Brun.
Speaker 2: I think one thing about what sticks out about you
Speaker 2: obviously your play. You seem like you're always at the
Speaker 2: right place at the right time, hit timely shots. You
Speaker 2: can play with anybody, but this is a Golden State
Speaker 2: Warriors nucleus that has been successful for a long time.
Speaker 2: And to have you inserted into the starting lineup and
Speaker 2: still playing at a high level, I think that just
Speaker 2: speaks volumes to what you've been able to do to
Speaker 2: this point. But I want you to take me back,
Speaker 2: be take me back to the day where you were
Speaker 2: told that you were going to be the starter. Can
Speaker 2: you can you like, give us a story on I
Speaker 2: don't know you woke up that day, did you have
Speaker 2: any inkland?
Speaker 4: Did you know? Did it hit you as a surprise?
Speaker 4: Was this a meeting? Can you just take us behind
Speaker 4: the scenes on how that all came about.
Speaker 7: Yeah, So it was after the Phoenix game where Dre
Speaker 7: got suspended, and obviously before he got suspended, we were
Speaker 7: playing pretty bad and halftime at the Phoenix game, Steve
Speaker 7: was like, we're gonna switch it up. At halftime, I'm
Speaker 7: starting to I think it was me, Clay, Steph, Dre,
Speaker 7: and maybe Jonathan and that group was working. Obviously what
Speaker 7: happened with Draymond happened with Draymond. We end up losing,
Speaker 7: so we fly from Phoenix to La. We have a
Speaker 7: meet in the next morning after they release about Dre's suspension,
Speaker 7: and they said we're gonna try to change a different lineup.
Speaker 7: Then it was me, Steph, Clay, JK, and Lon and
Speaker 7: that was really it. Obviously, you know, we're sadden because
Speaker 7: we don't have Dre out there and he's a big
Speaker 7: part of what we do. And that's kind of how
Speaker 7: I found out. Started the next game in La Brooklyn,
Speaker 7: Portland and so on. And just trying to do my partner.
Speaker 7: I think a misconception about me is that, like during
Speaker 7: Summer League, it wasn't so much like I was playing bad.
Speaker 7: It was me trying to, you know, show the coaches
Speaker 7: and the gms in the front office how I could
Speaker 7: fit with guys like Steph and Clay. And obviously, when
Speaker 7: you play in Summer League, you don't play with guys
Speaker 7: of that level. So I think instead of trying to, like,
Speaker 7: you know, get thirty points here and whatever the case is,
Speaker 7: in the summer League, I tried to show, you know that
Speaker 7: I could play with them. I could play in the
Speaker 7: system where the ball moves, I screened all that kind
Speaker 7: of stuff and do all the little things. And obviously
Speaker 7: I didn't shoot the best, but you know now I'm
Speaker 7: leading the team in three point percentage.
Speaker 6: As ironic as that might.
Speaker 4: Be, that's crazy on the team with Steph.
Speaker 5: Yeah, so there's obviously a lot of time between Summer
Speaker 5: League and training camp. How did you not let summer
Speaker 5: League and maybe it didn't go exactly the way you
Speaker 5: wanted it to.
Speaker 3: How did you not let that mess with you?
Speaker 6: Yeah?
Speaker 7: I think the law of averages work out. I mean
Speaker 7: in summer League was a sample size of six games.
Speaker 7: Over the course of thirty two to thirty three college games,
Speaker 7: I shot forty four percent almost, so I know it
Speaker 7: wasn't going to be that much of a difference. And a
Speaker 7: lot of my threes I took in college were from
Speaker 7: NBA range, so I knew I could do it. It
Speaker 7: was just, you know, just keep putting the time and working.
Speaker 7: Steph did a good job of, you know, inviting me
Speaker 7: to workouts, just little things here and there that I
Speaker 7: could be a part of to get better throughout the summer,
Speaker 7: and you know, going into camp, I fairly confident of
Speaker 7: what I was supposed to do for the team, and
Speaker 7: I think since Camp I've been doing a great job
Speaker 7: of it.
Speaker 5: But this I think it's fair to say, has been
Speaker 5: an up and down, a rough start to the season
Speaker 5: for a team that is used to playing for championships.
Speaker 5: So to be a rookie thrown into this situation with
Speaker 5: all the expectations, and you know, obviously it's a daily
Speaker 5: source of conversation. How much help is Stephan Curry getting.
Speaker 5: Steph is almost thirty six and it's still playing at
Speaker 5: such a high level. What is it like to manage
Speaker 5: that pressure and step right in and be expected to
Speaker 5: deliver right away.
Speaker 7: I don't think there's any pressure obviously. You guys know
Speaker 7: that I have the most confidence in myself out of anybody.
Speaker 7: You know, I know what I can do, and I
Speaker 7: know what I'm not as good at, and I try
Speaker 7: to stay away from things I'm not as good at.
Speaker 7: But I also know who I'm on the floor with,
Speaker 7: which makes it a lot easier for me. But you know,
Speaker 7: I think each and every one of us, including Steph,
Speaker 7: you know, take pride and you know, contributing to winning.
Speaker 7: And you know, we all see when people's like, oh,
Speaker 7: Steph has no help this and that, and we you know,
Speaker 7: like's a fire under our bus sometimes too, Like you know,
Speaker 7: we're here to contribute as well, and we can. And
Speaker 7: I think, you know, over the course of the last
Speaker 7: ten games, we might think are about six and four.
Speaker 7: You know, everybody's kind of stepped it up a little
Speaker 7: bit and Dre's absence, and I think yesterday's game was
Speaker 7: a testament of you know, everybody contributing. I think we
Speaker 7: had seven or eight guys in double figures, and you know,
Speaker 7: we're all have to do our part and it's not
Speaker 7: just going to be on step shoulders to you know,
Speaker 7: well's to victories every night.
Speaker 5: You mentioned your confidence, and Draymond Green I think has
Speaker 5: publicly lauded you for your confidence. Where does it come from?
Speaker 5: Where does where does the confidence come in to? Kind
Speaker 5: of I know you don't carry yourself like a rookie.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 7: I just think for me, just you know, trying to
Speaker 7: show everybody that you know, I do belong and you
Speaker 7: can't belong and can't get props from everybody else if
Speaker 7: you don't believe that yourself. And you know, growing up,
Speaker 7: you know, grew up in the African American community, so
Speaker 7: just learning to hoop with those guys, holding my own
Speaker 7: and you know, trying to fit in honestly, uh, kind
Speaker 7: of built that confidence. And parents did a good job of,
Speaker 7: you know, not letting me win anything growing up, whether
Speaker 7: it was baseball, football, basket or anything like that. Never
Speaker 7: let me win, and so that kind of build my competitiveness.
Speaker 7: And then you know, when you always want to win
Speaker 7: us something and you keep progressing, I think that builds confidence.
Speaker 4: Bran.
Speaker 2: That was my next question right there, you got ahead
Speaker 2: of me, Man, I was going to ask you about
Speaker 2: that it seems like, you know, you talked to Gordon
Speaker 2: Hayward or Tyler Hero, Kevin Love and they all talked
Speaker 2: about being tested by the brothers, playing this game and
Speaker 2: having to prove something. Did you have a similar path
Speaker 2: or even still to this day, have you found in
Speaker 2: the NBA where players are still probably not taking you
Speaker 2: lightly or just testing you, trying to see if you
Speaker 2: really really got it?
Speaker 7: Yeah, I think it just honestly just comes with it,
Speaker 7: and sometimes you don't really got a choice. So for me, honestly,
Speaker 7: you know, I see a lot of guys like Tyler
Speaker 7: when he first got into the league, or like Austin Reeves,
Speaker 7: how they try to test him on defense right away.
Speaker 7: And I wanted to make sure that, you know, I
Speaker 7: was known as someone that holds the on on defense
Speaker 7: right away from the jumping and try to be super impactful.
Speaker 7: And you know, you look at now, a lot of
Speaker 7: times they don't really go at me on the floor
Speaker 7: no more, because you know, I'm willing to take that challenge.
Speaker 7: I'm willing to guard the James Harden and Jamal Murray's,
Speaker 7: you know, all those type of players, and.
Speaker 6: You know I take pride in that.
Speaker 7: And so when teams see that, like they try to
Speaker 7: stay away out I guess now, but I just wanted
Speaker 7: to make it a point from the jump that that
Speaker 7: I'm willing to play defense.
Speaker 4: Did you did you you take it as disrespect that
Speaker 4: they try to? I love this style.
Speaker 2: I love it, man, And that's what I'm talking about,
Speaker 2: being like when you look at you look a look
Speaker 2: at it. Look at the plays he makes and how
Speaker 2: he gets guys you know, fired up. You don't see
Speaker 2: that from rookies. So that's why I'm knowing. I'm like,
Speaker 2: he was around some brothers coming up, you know what
Speaker 2: I'm saying. Like he was, he was. You can see,
Speaker 2: you can see it in the man. And I wouldn't
Speaker 2: ask you real quick, like what did it teach you?
Speaker 2: You know, growing up in the African American neighborhood of community,
Speaker 2: What did it teach you? You know, sports wise, life
Speaker 2: or whatever? What what did you get out of it?
Speaker 6: Yeah?
Speaker 7: I think from a life perspective, first, it was just
Speaker 7: like everybody comes from a different background, a different story,
Speaker 7: and people do things kind of based off how they
Speaker 7: were raised and to be a part of, you know,
Speaker 7: a white family, but also grow up around you know,
Speaker 7: African American families. You got kind of get to see
Speaker 7: both sides of what the difference is, what the similarities are.
Speaker 7: And I think, you know, in from basketball perspective, it
Speaker 7: just told you how tough you got to be because.
Speaker 6: They don't care. You know, a lot of times they
Speaker 6: probably just think you're sweet.
Speaker 7: You just can shoot, And I kind of want to
Speaker 7: change that narrative that you know, I can be all
Speaker 7: around player too.
Speaker 6: I can contribute off fastest to the game just like
Speaker 6: they can.
Speaker 7: And I think it's what's got me here and I
Speaker 7: think it's what's gonna help me stay.
Speaker 5: Do people like the Warriors in Milwaukee because obviously Loun
Speaker 5: before you and Jordan Poole, and obviously you're there now,
Speaker 5: like a lot of Milwaukee stars have ended up in
Speaker 5: Golden State here in the recent times. So what do
Speaker 5: people think about the Warriors where you're from.
Speaker 7: I think I think the Warriors are really a global
Speaker 7: favorite by default, just because of the past, the history
Speaker 7: of winning. I think everywhere except maybe Sacramento in LA
Speaker 7: are all Warriors fans to a default. But I know
Speaker 7: a lot of people back home because of me, Loun,
Speaker 7: Jordan and Patrick. You obviously got a bunch of coaches
Speaker 7: from our staff from Milwaukee as well. But I just
Speaker 7: think just the dominance they've had over the last ten years,
Speaker 7: it's kind of made people a fan by default. A
Speaker 7: lot of people back home, you know, try to run
Speaker 7: their offense like Golden State just because it's predicated and
Speaker 7: a ball movement and not just driven them there out
Speaker 7: the ball. So just kind of by default, everybody's a
Speaker 7: fan of Golden State.
Speaker 5: So if we had met you at fifteen or sixteen
Speaker 5: and asked you, are you a Bucks fan or a
Speaker 5: Warriors fan? What would you have What would you have read?
Speaker 6: I would have said, I'm a Heat fan.
Speaker 7: Me and me and Tyler grew up in the same
Speaker 7: city in Greenfield together. He's obviously four years older than me,
Speaker 7: but once he got drafted to the Heat, I just
Speaker 7: felt like we were the same kind of athletically, size
Speaker 7: wise play style. So I kind of just try to
Speaker 7: follow what he did in terms of his development, and
Speaker 7: I think obviously he won six Man of the Year
Speaker 7: ready could potentially be an All Star soon. So just
Speaker 7: growing up in the same city seeing.
Speaker 8: Him make it, you know, gave me the most conferences
Speaker 8: that Hart can make it too, So shout out to him.
Speaker 2: You mentioned you you looked at draft boards when you
Speaker 2: were coming out of college. Uh, do you, as of
Speaker 2: right now, even though you're excelling, does it still bother
Speaker 2: you about some of the guys that were picked ahead
Speaker 2: of you? Percent I'm saying I could put you on
Speaker 2: the spot. I was about to ask you, don't answer this.
Speaker 2: I was just about to ask you, d K you
Speaker 2: do you know the guys on top of your head
Speaker 2: that were that were picked?
Speaker 4: Oh? You do? Okay? All right?
Speaker 2: Where do you feel like, because you said next year
Speaker 2: if you would have if you would have stayed in college,
Speaker 2: you would have been a lot to repick for sure,
Speaker 2: Where do you feel like you should have went? What
Speaker 2: do you feel like your reign should have been?
Speaker 6: See, it's kind of tough to say.
Speaker 7: I think if you look at this year's draft, it's
Speaker 7: more of, Yeah, you want to go to the highest
Speaker 7: number and make more money, but at the same time,
Speaker 7: you want to go to a spot where you're gonna
Speaker 7: have opportunity. And I think Golden State fits me and
Speaker 7: I fit them perfectly. So like if I were to
Speaker 7: go to, you know, a top five pick team and
Speaker 7: I could play out of minutes, but we're not winning.
Speaker 7: I think that kind of as made as well as
Speaker 7: it may look like my numbers are up and all
Speaker 7: this and that, I think it kind of prevents my
Speaker 7: development in the sense of how to win in the NBA.
Speaker 7: And I think right now I'm kind of getting the
Speaker 7: best of both worlds of veteran team have won four
Speaker 7: championships and I'm getting to play, so I'm learning how
Speaker 7: to win while I'm playing, And I think you guys
Speaker 7: will see that in the coming years kind of when
Speaker 7: you know, you know, Stephen Dray and Clay and CP
Speaker 7: they what five six more years left in the tank
Speaker 7: and then after that, it's kind of like the young
Speaker 7: guys kind of got to take their lead and run
Speaker 7: with it. So for me to be here in Golden State,
Speaker 7: I think it's a perfect spot for me. Obviously, you
Speaker 7: want to go as high as you can as a player,
Speaker 7: but it's also about fit because a lot of guys
Speaker 7: that are in front of you aren't even playing right now.
Speaker 2: And that's what makes what you're doing again remarkably because
Speaker 2: a lot of rookies be they wouldn't want to be
Speaker 2: drafted in the twenties to a Golden State veteran team
Speaker 2: because they're not going to play. That's the way we
Speaker 2: look at it. You know, like I don't want to Kaminga.
Speaker 2: I know Kaminga's has had some problems trying to adjust
Speaker 2: and he's finally getting his turn now. But you know,
Speaker 2: had he if he was drafted by a lottery team,
Speaker 2: he's playing right away. And I know for a lot
Speaker 2: of guys that that's that's a struggle for For you mentally,
Speaker 2: you just always had the confidence that you would crack it.
Speaker 2: Like did you go in thinking like, Okay, I'm prepared
Speaker 2: to sit a year or two because you know, all
Speaker 2: you have to do is look at he's saying no
Speaker 2: already started, hold on b before you asked that, hold
Speaker 2: on be old. Look at Kaminga. Look how many years
Speaker 2: it took him. Look at what happened to Wiseman didn't play.
Speaker 2: You didn't look at those other rookies and sayment man,
Speaker 2: they are not getting on the court with this team.
Speaker 2: You still just felt like you would crack it.
Speaker 6: Huh.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 7: I mean if I was going to play in the NBA,
Speaker 7: and I felt like if I wasn't ready, I just
Speaker 7: would have went back to school again and just kind
Speaker 7: of based on feedback I got through the process of
Speaker 7: working out with teams, interviewing with teams that I was
Speaker 7: going to be in that ten to twenty five range.
Speaker 7: And for me coming into Golden State, I just I
Speaker 7: think my best agibus I just know basketball, and if
Speaker 7: you know basketball, especially with Golden State, you know you're
Speaker 7: gonna find you on to the floor. And I think
Speaker 7: big questions my playing defense, all that kind of stuff,
Speaker 7: and I think I've kind of quieted that noise. And
Speaker 7: if you know basketball, you know how to play with
Speaker 7: the team's best players.
Speaker 6: That's what a role player is.
Speaker 7: And I think for me, just trying to perfect that
Speaker 7: until it's my time to, you know, be the best
Speaker 7: player on the team.
Speaker 6: I think that's why I'm on the court.
Speaker 5: Well, I've waited long enough to get to this, but
Speaker 5: we've saved the best for last, at least what I
Speaker 5: consider the best for last. Because I want to talk
Speaker 5: to you about left handedness, one of my favorite subjects.
Speaker 5: Raymond Ridder, the world famous Raymond Ridder, who does Warriors pr.
Speaker 5: He doesn't put his notebook down long enough to read
Speaker 5: anything I write, so I'm sure he hasn't told you
Speaker 5: this but every August when International left Handers Day hits,
Speaker 5: I put out my all lefty team and there are
Speaker 5: only six spots on it. So don't be mad at
Speaker 5: me if you don't make it in year one. But
Speaker 5: you'll probably take that as a challenge.
Speaker 2: He's going to be mad at you. I don't know
Speaker 2: why you said that. He's going to be mad if
Speaker 2: you leave them.
Speaker 3: All his motivation to prove me wrong.
Speaker 5: But basically, I pick five guys and a six man
Speaker 5: and that's it. And there are usually about fifty lefties
Speaker 5: in the league every season, so only six make this team.
Speaker 5: But in what I've read about you, and I've heard
Speaker 5: some other interviews you've done, I love how much you
Speaker 5: talk about Jenobli and Harden. You clearly study other left handers.
Speaker 5: So just take us through from your seat, what are
Speaker 5: the advantages of being left handed? And just maybe share
Speaker 5: with us some of your favorite lefties.
Speaker 7: Yeah, I think favorite lefty in the game right now.
Speaker 7: Obviously I talk a lot about Mono, but Jalen Brunson,
Speaker 7: I think I can have a similar type career as him.
Speaker 7: Obviously he's a lot shorter than me, but just see
Speaker 7: that he does the full work creating advantages for him
Speaker 7: and his teammates. Obviously, you have Daron Sacramento, you have
Speaker 7: James Harden still in LA.
Speaker 6: But I'm actually curious who's on your list right now.
Speaker 5: So last August, when I put out the all Lefty team,
Speaker 5: and I did it, I did it like the All
Speaker 5: Star ballot. I did two in the back court, three
Speaker 5: in the front court, and then I picked a six
Speaker 5: man backcourt pretty easy, Jalen Brunson and de Aaron Fox.
Speaker 3: Front court, I had to move.
Speaker 5: I didn't have a third automatic forward, so Demontes a
Speaker 5: bonus Julius Randall were layups.
Speaker 3: And then I moved R. J.
Speaker 5: Barrett in there as kind of a swing man, so
Speaker 5: he became the third starter in the front court.
Speaker 3: And then Luke Canard was my sixth man.
Speaker 4: So Beacon correct that.
Speaker 5: Last year there was no Harden obviously, So I think
Speaker 5: Harden obviously is going to be in there this season.
Speaker 5: And so yeah, I mean it's it's it's tough competition,
Speaker 5: only six spots.
Speaker 4: But I have a suggestion. If there's you said there's
Speaker 4: about fifty lefties.
Speaker 3: Yeah, usually around four, usually around forty five.
Speaker 2: To fifty per seeds, just switch it to lefty team,
Speaker 2: go twelve, give twelve spots.
Speaker 3: No, I want to make it exclusive. You gotta be
Speaker 3: it's top six.
Speaker 7: If you put the top twelve lefties on a team together,
Speaker 7: you think we can win a championship.
Speaker 5: I don't know, but I know that I'd be in
Speaker 5: the front row watch and I would love to see it.
Speaker 5: And there were times where the Knicks in recent years
Speaker 5: they almost had five to throw on the court altogether.
Speaker 5: What is the most lefties you've ever been on the
Speaker 5: court with at the same time, do you remember?
Speaker 6: Maybe maybe high school? Maybe two?
Speaker 5: Yeah, I mean, like I think the Knicks have had
Speaker 5: times where they've had at least so who they.
Speaker 6: Have They have Barrett, Randall, Hartenstein, Jalen Brunson.
Speaker 5: Yeah, and all four of them have played. Trying to
Speaker 5: think that they have anyone else.
Speaker 4: Yeah, they would be in contention, for sure.
Speaker 2: We got enough for sure, Bronson, Fox, Sabonis, Randall, Barrett, Brandon, Hardenstein, Harden,
Speaker 2: I forgot about Harden, Joe Ingles, Joe Ingles for sure.
Speaker 3: Herb Jones is in there in there.
Speaker 2: Yes, said we could do it, we could do it.
Speaker 5: Yeah, Yeah, I mean, look last year, Zion and Harden
Speaker 5: weren't on my team.
Speaker 6: Now we could do it. We could win it for sure.
Speaker 7: I mean the writings are tough too, though, I ain't
Speaker 7: gonna say that that's crazy.
Speaker 2: So so a club that sums up to around fifty
Speaker 2: guys can beat the rest of the four four hundred players,
Speaker 2: that's pretty No, that'd be a good game. That'd be
Speaker 2: a good game. I'm sorry, you gotta start that star,
Speaker 2: start the petition on that. I would want to see
Speaker 2: that all lefty squad. The NBA is always trying to
Speaker 2: come up with something.
Speaker 3: We didn't mention. Kelly Oubray Conley g P two.
Speaker 2: Bright, I put that on you. That's your teammate, man,
Speaker 2: I put that good.
Speaker 6: I mean GP, he's kind.
Speaker 7: Of like a like an inverted left, like an inverted left.
Speaker 4: Yeah, you really don't think there's some lefties out there?
Speaker 2: I don't think you don't think you don't think left
Speaker 2: handed GP he fits like fits like that as well.
Speaker 5: Yeah, so, I mean, like you said, though, probably the
Speaker 5: most you've ever played with at one time fellow lefties
Speaker 5: is just two of you. So, I mean, how weird
Speaker 5: would it be if there were four or five or
Speaker 5: five of you?
Speaker 3: Or would it you think it would be natural.
Speaker 6: I think it's I think it would be fun. Honestly.
Speaker 7: Uh, for me, I don't really like garden lefties, is
Speaker 7: that right? That may sound. I don't really like garden
Speaker 7: lefties because I've always grown up just garten right He's
Speaker 7: so you know their tennessees.
Speaker 6: But Garden Garden Harden for sure was definitely fun.
Speaker 4: So now you know how other players feel guarding you.
Speaker 6: Yeah, yeah, it's definitely switch.
Speaker 5: Up because you're left handed when you have to go
Speaker 5: against a Harden or a Bruns. And do you think
Speaker 5: that gives you some sort of advantage that you can
Speaker 5: somewhat step into their head and try to anticipate where
Speaker 5: they're going.
Speaker 6: Yeah, I think for most lefties, not all.
Speaker 7: Obviously, a lot of lefties like shooting off their right hand,
Speaker 7: whether it's a step back, going right, floating into their
Speaker 7: right hand into a shot, spinning over their left shoulder,
Speaker 7: so you kind of know that, and then when they
Speaker 7: go left try to get downhill or counter back to
Speaker 7: the right, so you kind of know that and stuff.
Speaker 7: But just in terms of your full work and guarding them,
Speaker 7: you haven't done it a lot, so it's a little
Speaker 7: bit different.
Speaker 4: It doesn't matter. Stein like you can have I played cards.
Speaker 2: I ain't played on NBA obviously, b But no matter
Speaker 2: what the coach can tell you, he's left handed. You know,
Speaker 2: his strong hand is the left and somehow most players
Speaker 2: will still mess it up and still shade them to
Speaker 2: that left side. You're just not used to it. It's tough, tough,
Speaker 2: of what it seems.
Speaker 6: Yeah, well, I'm glad.
Speaker 5: I'm glad we saved that for the end. And like
Speaker 5: I said, I wish you great success for the rest
Speaker 5: of the season. And something tells me that you will
Speaker 5: end up on that team. I can't tell you exactly when,
Speaker 5: but it is always great to see another young lefty
Speaker 5: emerge and play his way into consideration.
Speaker 3: For again, it's one of six spots.
Speaker 5: It's difficult, but I know now I've guaranteed Raymond Rider,
Speaker 5: I've guaranteed fifty phone calls.
Speaker 3: From him lobbying for you to get on there. So
Speaker 3: you do have a strong advocate in your corner.
Speaker 2: Yes, sir Bran, we appreciate you having us Man about
Speaker 2: coming on with us Man. You your treasure, pleasure and
Speaker 2: treasure and a pleasure to watch man. But equally and
Speaker 2: more impressive man just sitting here talking and shooting the
Speaker 2: shit with us. So we appreciate you, brother.
Speaker 6: Thank you guys for having me. I appreciate you guys.
Speaker 5: All right there he goes everyone, Brandon Pajemski from the
Speaker 5: Golden State Warriors. That will do it for this edition
Speaker 5: of This League Uncut. As always, please rate, review, and
Speaker 5: subscribe to the show if you haven't already. Chris and
Speaker 5: I back together again very soon, with one more episode
Speaker 5: to come this week.
Speaker 3: Talk to you then, and that'll do it for us.
Speaker 1: See you next time. This League uncutage and iHeartRadio production
Speaker 1: Chris Haynes and Mark Stein
Speaker 2: Six