Warriors' youth giving management something to ponder before deadline

Despite losing to the MilwaukeeBucks, 129-118, on Saturday night, the Golden State Warriors leftthe game with a silver lining: Their young guys outran andouthustled the contending Bucks, giving them a hard time all gamelong.

The Warriors even led 56-54 atthe half, and it wasn't until the fourth quarter that the Buckswere able to pull away completely. Milwaukee used their veteransavvy in the fourth to defeat the youthful Warriors squad, who wereplaying without their captain and superstar Stephen Curry(rest).

Even though they came up short,the young guns showed they have the ability to compete against anelite team, which the Warriors can possibly build upon once Curryand Draymond Green return to the lineup. This showing also givesGolden State's front office a number of things to consider as theFeb. 8 trade deadline approaches.

With that said, let's break downhow the Warriors' young core performed and how they nearly managedto upset the Bucks without their leading scorer.

First, the youthful Warriors ranthe old Bucks off the floor. Without Curry, head coach Steve Kerrstarted rookie Brandin Podziemski at point guard. With Podz athelm, the Warriors pushed the pace. Save for some early sets forKlay Thompson, Golden State was up and running and tried to beatMilwaukee in transition all game long. Even slow-footed powerforward Dario Saric was leading the break at some points, trying toturn up the tempo and outrun the Bucks.

If there was one possession thatencapsulated what the Warriors tried to do, it was this one in thesecond quarter. Following a made basket by the Bucks, JonathanKuminga ran the length of the floor, beat Giannis Antetokounmpo andchallenged Brook Lopez at the rim in the process to make a quickcounter:

I like the mindset here. Bucks' Achillesheel on defense this season has been in transition. Off of a madebucket, JK pushes the pace and lays the ball over Brook. pic.twitter.com/PK8KkPUocJ

Kuminga breezed through theentire Milwaukee defense and jumped in the air before Lopez couldget there. The Dubs just ran and ran, putting pressure on the Bucks(the NBA's oldest team).

Secondly, the young Warriorsplayed hard; they deserve credit for their effort and energy.Without their best player and the hub of their system, the Warriorsleaned on their youth and athleticism to challenge the Bucks, whowere coming off their biggest win of the season (drubbing theBoston Celtics).

It started with Podziemski, whowas playing in his home state of Wisconsin. He had a great game,recording a double-double of 23 points and 10 rebounds onimpressive 10-of-14 shooting.

The No. 19 overall selection wasactive off the bounce, blowing by opponents and squeezing his waythrough the defense. He was also brilliant off the catch, where hegot a couple of baskets off of stampede runs to the rim:

Interesting that the Bucks are actually hardhedging here w/ Portis as their 5. Puts them in rotation, Podztakes advantage w/ a face cut. pic.twitter.com/QDTFb7q9XZ

The 20-year-old out of SantaClara also exhibited uncanny can't-teach instincts. In one play inthe fourth quarter, he knew exactly what fellow rookie AndreJackson Jr. would do, intercepting his pass to get an easytransition dunk on the other end. Podziemski’s feel as a rookie hasbeen impressive and he fits nicely with the Warriors'core.