Warriors Young Pieces Have Chance to Prove Themselves, Fail

Jonathan Kuminga wants to be a featured scorer and an All-Star. Brandin Podziemski believes one day he could be as good as Stephen Curry. They both have the confidence of greatness, but do their plays back it up? 

If the Warriors were going to be dangerous this season, they needed Kuminga and Podziemski to take a leap. With a core made up of three great, but aging, stars, the two highest-potential young guys were supposed to pick up the slack. 

Thursday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers was a perfect opportunity for both Podziemski and Kuminga to put their money where their mouths are. The Warriors were facing a hobbled Sixers team without Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler, and desperately needed some support from their young guns.

Unfortunately, like the rest of the Warriors' season so far, the results were disappointing. Not only did the Warriors set the NBA season record for the fewest points scored in a quarter, but their two young pieces were extremely disappointing. 

Podziemski scored only six points while going 0-for-5 from three. Kuminga scored nine points and went 4-of-12 from the field. 

The sad fact is that neither Podziemski nor Kuminga is as good as they think they are. The Sixers' game was the perfect opportunity to prove that they could handle the load when the Warriors' stars are hurt or resting. They also led the team in negative plus/minus with -20 for Podziemski and -18 for Kuminga. 

If either Podziemski or Kuminga has any value on the trade market, the Warriors need to consider trading them. If they can’t pick up the slack with Curry and Butler out, what are they good for?