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SAN FRANCISCO -- Steph Curry was exhausted.

Not just physically, from carrying the Warriors for the first quarter of the season. But also emotionally, following the indefinite suspension of Draymond Green and its aftermath, which involved a team meeting last Wednesday where players were free to speak on the situation.

Luckily for Curry and the rest of Golden State, consecutive victories over the weekend against the Brooklyn Nets and Portland Trail Blazers provide reason for hope -- and not just because Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins appear to be progressively burning off their dense early season marine layer.

A youth movement is emerging in Golden State, as the "two timelines" approach that seemed dead in the water after giving up on former No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman appears to finally be taking hold.

Even before Green's suspension, Warriors coach Steve Kerr had injected young legs into the starting lineup. Kerr slotted in Jonathan Kuminga and rookie Brandin Podziemski while sending Wiggins and Kevon Looney to the bench. With Green out, Looney is back in the first five, but the suspension also opened up more opportunity for not only Kuminga and Podziemski, but fellow 20-somethings Moses Moody and Trayce Jackson-Davis.

"Our young guys have really been impressive," Kerr said. "It's one of the bright spots. One of the silver linings with the way things have started is getting really good performances from those guys."

Kuminga adds pure athleticism that the Warriors have lacked, even in their best days. Moody is repeatedly described as wise beyond his years, able to mold and effectively fit into multiple lineup combinations. Jackson-Davis is already on the more developed side for a rookie at 23 years old, having played four years at Indiana.

And then there's the 20-year-old Podziemski, who's quickly becoming the jewel of the young core. In three games as a starter, he's averaging 11 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals. What stands out more than the stat-stuffing, however, is his basketball IQ.

The guy just gets it.

"Some of the stuff that he does, you can't teach," Curry said of Podziemski. "Being in the right place, anticipating plays, hustle. He's a master right now of the things that you can control in the game of basketball: Just trying to make the right play, giving the extra effort, the will to impact the game. Those intangibles are huge."

Curry is usually the first to highlight the ultimate basketball paradox: Making the simple play is sometimes the hardest thing to do. But that's what Kerr's offense is predicated upon, and part of the reason he put Podziemski in the starting lineup was to give Curry some help in terms of ball-handling and decision-making -- areas where Green is notably missed.

Curry pointed to an example of how Podziemski has been such a seamless fit so early in his career. As Curry dribbled toward him in Saturday's win over the Nets, Podziemski made the correct backdoor cut and received the pass. Instead of going up for a contested layup, though, he made the simple pass to Wiggins, who kicked it to Dario Saric. Podziemski then wisely continued his cut to the corner and wound up burying a wide-open 3-pointer.

Vintage Golden State offense from a 20-year-old in his 19th NBA game.

The very next game, with the Warriors beating Portland by two points in the final seconds and uber-athletic guard Shaedon Sharpe coming toward him full speed, Podziemski squared up and took a charge, which proved to be the game-winning play. He earned a "Way to go, BP" from Kerr, who knows that he has a gamer in his rookie guard. After all, this wasn't the first time Podziemski found himself in the right place at the right time.

"I think basketball is a game about positioning, both offensively and defensively," Podziemski explained. "I think, when you're not as athletic as maybe like a Jonathan Kuminga, you have to rely on your positioning to overlook those deficiencies. And, for me, just being in the right spots, knowing basketball and knowing what the team is trying to get to at that certain moment. I think that just has helped me tremendously throughout my career."

While Podziemski is taking on more playmaking, Kuminga has been able to flex his muscles in terms of defense, rim-rolling and finishing in both transition and the half-court. He's put the "high" in highlights with some of his mind-bending dunks at eye-level with the rim.

But it wasn't a posterizing dunk that got Kerr's attention recently -- it was Kuminga's ability and willingness to stay engaged. Kerr left Kuminga on the bench for a long stretch during Saturday's win because Wiggins was playing well. After sitting from midway through the third quarter until the final seconds of the game, Kuminga had his number called to defend Nets forward Mikal Bridges on a crucial possession. With the Warriors up by two and less than 30 seconds remaining, Bridges isolated on Kuminga, driving to the basket. While Kuminga wasn't credited with a block, he altered the shot enough to force a miss, helping secure the win for the Warriors.

That kind of buy-in is crucial for a young player who last season expressed discontent with his role and had rumors surface of a potential trade demand. The mental progress is just as important as his on-court development.

Speaking of progress, Jackson-Davis spoke with CBS Sports prior to Saturday's win, explaining why he must always stay ready because he never knows when his turn will come. Kerr flirted with playing three centers (Looney, Saric and Jackson-Davis) after Green's suspension, but said that likely wouldn't continue. That left Jackson-Davis as the odd man out.

But, lo and behold, Saric picked up three early fouls on Sunday against Portland, and Jackson-Davis didn't skip a beat. He put up 14 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block in 17 minutes, finishing as a plus-eight in the box score. This is the model for Golden State -- interchangeable parts who are able to contribute when they're called upon.

"Everyone has to be ready to play whatever role they've got to," Jackson-Davis said. "[Kerr will] plug you into many different roles, and the way that we just set screens and run open and our offense is really spread out. So, you get the ball in a lot of different places and dribble handoffs, stuff of that nature. It's all really good for us."

The four youngsters -- Kuminga, Moody, Podziemski and Jackson-Davis -- are rapidly becoming a large part of the Warriors' present, not just their future, and they've bonded in different ways. Moody's locker is right next to Jackson-Davis', as the third-year vet disperses sage wisdom to the rookie ... who also happens to be two years older than him. Kuminga and Jackson-Davis sit next to each other on team flights, talking shop as the emerging young group begins to understand their importance to a dynasty at a crossroads.

"Obviously, this has been a veteran-oriented team for eight, nine years now," Podziemski said. "But, like Steph had mentioned [in a previous interview], maybe it is time for some young guys to help to lead, and it's gonna maybe look a little different than it has in the past. And that's OK."