Brandin Podziemski Exits Early With Back Injury, Leaving Warriors Scrambling

Brandin Podziemski is heading back to the locker room with a back injury, and it took less than a minute of game time on Friday for the Golden State Warriors to hold their collective breath.

Underdog NBA reported the early exit, which immediately sent a shockwave through live markets. If you were holding a Podziemski over on any player prop tonight against the Memphis Grizzlies, that ticket was tossed into the digital shredder before you even settled into your couch.

"Underdog NBA reported: 'Status alert: Brandin Podziemski (back) headed to locker room Friday.'"

This is not exactly a freak occurrence out of nowhere. Podziemski just missed the season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday with back soreness, a game Golden State dropped 127-105. Add in the fact that he spent his offseason recovering from wrist and core surgeries, and his medical chart is starting to look like a CVS receipt.

The Warriors need his secondary playmaking desperately, especially in a Western Conference that does not wait around for anyone to get healthy. When a guy tries to play through a back issue and does not even survive the first TV timeout, it usually means the problem is structural, not just a little tightness you can stretch out with a foam roller.

Golden State has to turn right around to face the Phoenix Suns on Sunday. Expect the sportsbooks to adjust Golden State's rotation props heavily, and do not be shocked if Podziemski is wearing street clothes for the rest of the weekend while the medical staff figures out what went wrong.