Brandin Podziemski Upgraded to Probable After Back Injury Scare

The Golden State Warriors are finally taking their $110 million investment out of the medical tent. After missing Wednesday's game with a back issue, Brandin Podziemski has officially been upgraded to probable for Friday, according to Underdog NBA.

A 21-year-old dealing with back spasms is usually the kind of red flag that makes front offices sweat through their quarter-zips, especially right after handing him a five-year, $110 million extension. You do not mess around with spine issues when the ink on a nine-figure deal is barely dry, but apparently, a few days of rest did the trick.

"Underdog NBA reported: 'Brandin Podziemski (back) upgraded to probable Friday.'"

The timing is a massive relief for a Golden State squad that looked completely disjointed without him. The Warriors just got cooked 127-105 by the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday, a stark contrast to the 128-118 win they posted over the Portland Trail Blazers earlier in the week when their rotation was actually intact.

Before his back flared up, Podziemski was rolling. He dropped 17 points on the Lakers in a previous matchup and matched that output against Portland. He is the connective tissue in Steve Kerr's offense, and taking him out leaves Stephen Curry surrounded by a lot of guys staring at each other waiting for someone else to initiate the offense.

For the prop market sickos, this probable tag is the green light you were waiting for. De'Anthony Melton was a fine theoretical plug-and-play option on Wednesday, but Podziemski's return normalizes the usage rates and makes the Golden State backcourt a much more predictable puzzle to solve.

Assuming his back holds up through shootaround, expect Podziemski to slide right back into his usual heavy minutes against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday. The Warriors desperately need his production to avoid a losing streak, and frankly, so do the people who blindly bet the over on his rebounds.