The Warriors’ second-round pick is a deep bench option at the center position
The Golden State Warriors have always placed importance on their full roster, top to bottom. Sometimes they call it “Strength In Numbers.” David Lee preferred the term “Full Squad.”
So we’re going through the full squad, previewing each of the players who might see action for the new-look Warriors this season. First up is the Warriors last player to sign a two-way contract, center Quinten Post.
The Warriors originally traded the No. 52 pick in June’s draft to the Oklahoma City Thunder for wing shooter Lindy Waters III, then bought the pick back to select Post, a 24-year-old center who stands seven feet tall. This week, Post signed a two-way deal, replacing Daeqwon Plowden for the team’s final two-way slot.
Here are some reasons to get excited about Post, even if he’s likely the fourth-string center on this team.
He’s the 9th Dutch player in NBA history
The Netherlands hasn’t exactly been a hotbed for NBA talent over the years, but it does have one very NBA-friendly quality: It’s the tallest country on Earth.
That’s why the majority of Dutch players have been big men, most notably the “Dunking Dutchman,” Rik Smits. There’s also Swen Nader, former California Golden Bear Francisco Elson, and former Warriors Geert Hammink and Dan Gadzuric, who was traded along with Brandan Wright for a second-round pick that later became Draymond Green.
It’s a boon for headline writers and bloggers. Post can be a “Dutch treat,” let the Warriors claim they’re “going Dutch” at the center position, deliver punishing screens with a “Dutch crunch,” and it’ll be a thrill the first time he “windmills” his arms. If Post shows out, we could see the Chase Center finally start selling stroopwaffels.
He’s easily the team’s tallest player
The Warriors other two centers, Kevon Looney and Trayce Jackson-Davis, stand 6-foot-9. In a conference that features giant centers like Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama, Rudy Gobert, and Chet Holmgren, not to mention plus-sized rookies Zach Edey and Donovan Clingan, Post may see action simply because the Warriors need a big body.
Post is a classic basketball late bloomer. He stopped playing basketball briefly as a teenager before a growth spurt sent his height above 6-foot-8 at age 16. Post credits being undersized for his strong ball handling and shooting for a big man. By his second year with Apollo Amsterdam’s Under-18 team, he was the starting center on a championship team.
He measured at an even seven feet tall barefoot. His wingspan is 7 feet, 2.5 inches. Which is good, because his vertical leap was only 27 inches.
Post was a 40-50-80 player in college
While not as prestigious as the 40-50-90 club, which has only 11 members in NBA history, 40-50-80 shows a great degree of shhoting talent. For Post’s last two years at Boston College, he shot over 50% from the floor, over 40% from three-point range, and over 80% from the free throw line.
There’s an argument that Post’s college success, which included an All-Defensive ACC berth and a second team All-ACC selection, was a result of him being older than his competition. While that’s valid, the three-point line and foul line aren’t affected by age, and Post shot great behind both of them. He may not be a great athlete, but Post can knock down shots.
He’s the first Quinten in NBA history
Draymond Green is the only Draymond in NBA history. Until the San Antonio Spurs drafted Harrison Ingram this June, Harrison Barnes was the only played with the first name of Harrison in NBA history. There have been two Clays and two Claytons, but the departed Klay Thompson is the only Klay in NBA history.
In recent years, Golden State has also employed many players with unique first names in NBA history, including:
- Brandan
- Vonteego
- Monta
- Nemanjas (both Nedovic and Bjelica)
- Zaza
- Kelenna
- Andris
- Devean
- Mikki
- Ekpe
- Dorell
- Festus
- Hilton
- Marreese
- MarShon
- Ognjen
- Anderson
- Alfonzo
- Ky
- Marquese
- Alen
- JaMychal
- Usman
Maybe he can hang in the NBA, maybe he can’t, but Post will at least leave his name in the record books in one area: First-name uniqueness.
He’ll tell everyone exactly how he feels
One thing that Dutch people are not known for is their tact and social graces. People from the Netherlands have a tendency to speak their minds and ignore social cues. Sometimes, if you ask a Dutch person, “How are you?,” they violate all normal American scial conventions and actually tell you how they’re doing instead of saying, “I’m fine.”
We don’t expect Post to do a lot of interviews next season, but if he does, there’s a high probability that he’ll be the most honest Warriors interview subject in decades.
Our projection
Post will get into some games have some moments, like a hot three-point shooting streak. In general, it’s hard to buy him as a legitimate defensive big man given his athletic limitations. That being said, he could be a matchup nightmare off the bench, and if he can shoot as well as he did in college, Post has real 14th man potential with Golden State.
After all, the Warriors may be a three-point-oriented team, but they can always use some more Post play.