The eagerly anticipated first appearance of Quinten Post came on Friday night at the Warriors’ Las Vegas Their only option In the 2024 NBA Draft.
Selected in the second round (52nd overall), the 7-footer showed enough to help observers understand why Golden State’s front office decided to acquire his rights. A few minutes before the end of the draft.
Post came off the bench and provided big contributions as the Warriors weathered their toughest game of the summer. 90-83 victory Defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Thomas & Mack Center.
With the win, the Warriors advance to the NBA Summer League semifinals, where they will face the Miami Heat on Sunday afternoon (1 p.m.).
Post finished with 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field, including 2-of-4 from long range, along with three rebounds, one assist and one steal for a plus-five rating in 14 minutes as the Warriors monitored his minutes after being replaced. Lower limb injuries.
“We limited him to 12 to 15 minutes because we wanted to make sure he was healthy before he stepped on the court,” assistant general manager Larry Harris told NBC Sports Bay Area. “I thought Anthony used him well. We told him before the game exactly how we were going to use him: Figure out what the game was going to be, and then we’re going to put him on the court and let him play as hard as he can in a short amount of time and see if he can produce.”
Post, who missed the first seven Summer League games, entered the game with 5:49 left in the first quarter. He wasted little time committing the foul that many opponents claim is part of Golden State’s arsenal. He was whistled for a screen violation 37 seconds after stepping on the court.
But once he overcame that misstep, Post showed glimpses of the offensive skills that general manager Mike Dunleavy mentioned in his post-draft press conference: His movements were relatively smooth, he looked like a player who deserves to be on the floor and he had a nice shooting stroke.
Post’s most impressive moment came early in the fourth quarter when he evaded a defender on the perimeter with a quick pump fake and drove to the rim for a layup, a move that showed he’s crafty enough to use his shooting threat to create space to score off the dribble.
This is risky to attempt against most NBA defenses, but it’s notable that Post recognized the advantage and moved quickly to exploit it.
There were at least three other moments that stood out, the first of which occurred a few minutes after the illegal screen.
Sensing a mismatch with 6-foot-6 Hunter Maldonado, Post quickly set up on the low block, caught a smart entry pass from Kevin Knox and practiced what every coach preaches: He didn’t hesitate, didn’t waste time trying to dribble, and quickly spun around for an easy bank shot.
“The biggest thing that we saw right away was that he’s what we expected offensively,” Harris said. “He’s got good movement, he can run up and down the court, he can pass, he’s got good ball handling for a guy his size and obviously he’s a good three-point shooter. We’re feeling pretty good offensively.”
“On the one hand, defensively, he’s got to learn some concepts of how to defend at the center position in the NBA. He’s been out of position a few times, but that’s natural and something he can overcome. The other thing is, can he focus on rebounding and rebounding at his position?”
Shortly after re-entering the field in the second quarter, Post displayed the deep-shooting ability that’s so important to a draft pick, highlighting it with a pick-and-pop with guard Pat Spencer and a 3-pointer from above the arc.
Post drilled another 3-pointer from the left wing midway through the third quarter, defying a strong closeout from 6-foot-10 Thunder forward KJ Williams.
One thing that certainly put Post on the radar in the draft is that he’s 24 years old. He spent five years at two different universities before transferring from Mississippi State to Boston College, where he shot 41.6% from three-point range. His mechanics are solid and he’s a good three-point shooter. I think he could be a legitimate stretch five in the pros.
“I have no problem drafting a young guy who I think has a chance to be an All-Star or a superstar,” Harris said, “definitely. But I would never go off the rails just because a guy is a little older. It doesn’t put him out of the frame. There are teams that do that, but they have their own process.”
“But then Trace would be gone. [Jackson-Davis] Or him.”
Post will likely spend the majority of his rookie season with the Santa Cruz Warriors of the G League, but there’s reason to be optimistic about his ability to add a new dimension to Golden State’s offense in the future.
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