SAN FRANCISCO — It’s been just a handful of games, but Steve Kerr has seen enough. Rookie Quinten Post and quasi-rookie Gui Santos have their head coach’s confidence as they help fill in for Jonathan Kuminga and Draymond Green.
“They have my trust,” Kerr said after the Warriors defeated the Chicago Bulls 131-106 at Chase Center. “It’s just a question of once we’re healthy and JK and Draymond are back, are there minutes?”
Even if Kerr believes in his young role players — and he has reason to — the sample size is too small to map out what the rotation might look like in a couple weeks at full strength. Post has played just two real NBA games and Santos has only a few more on the back of his basketball card.
Still, both late second-round picks have made the most of limited opportunities. Santos has swung games with his energy, offensive rebounding, smart passing and outside shooting. Post dropped 20 points in a commanding win over the Bulls, outplaying the stretch-five prototype Nikola Vucevic on the other side.
Santos has given the Warriors exactly what they need with his motor. Post has the potential to provide a new element they’ve been seeking for years: a center who can space the floor and therefore open up driving lanes for wings and divert attention on the perimeter away from Steph Curry.
“Steph was the happiest guy in the building tonight with all that room to work with,” Kerr said. “The game got a lot easier for all of our guys.”
Post got up 10 3-pointers (and two more field goal attempts) in 19 minutes. He figured he might as well play his game and let it fly if the team was calling on him. He’d been tearing up the G League as the Warriors stumbled to a bottom-10 of offensive rating amid a disastrous 9-19 stretch.
Santos, meanwhile, arrived on the scene as the Warriors were in the midst of a crisis of confidence and struggling briefly with their competitive spirit. His hustle plays can be contagious and he’s now up to 18-for-39 (46.2%) from behind the arc. He and Post became the first duo in franchise history to each hit at least five 3s off the bench in a game.
“A lot of confidence, not going to lie,” Santos said after his 5-for-6 night from deep.
The Warriors weren’t counting on either to contribute this season. Although Post is 24 years old, Golden State selected him with the 52nd pick anticipating a steep learning curve. He grew up in Amsterdam idolizing Dirk Nowitzki, but even he admitted he might be half as skilled as the Hall of Famer. Soccer was his main sport until he was a teenager. In the one-and-done era, there’s a reason Post played five seasons.
Santos — the 55th pick in 2022 — was buried in a veteran wing depth chart. The son of two basketball players, Santos is one of several Basketball Without Borders alumni in the league now. Even as a pro with a club in the Brazilian League, he didn’t get much playing experience.
But circumstances change. The Warriors have dealt with a slew of injuries and slid from 12-3 to .500. Their offense has ranked 26th since December. Teams are face-guarding and doubling Curry constantly, forcing other Warriors to beat them — and those other Warriors either haven’t been able to hit open shots or haven’t been able to finish at the rim.
Post and Santos have patched some of those issues. The timing of their ascendances matters, too.
The Feb. 6 trade deadline is two weeks away. The Warriors have had too many puzzle pieces that look too similar all season, and Post and Santos make the box slightly heavier.
If Kerr and the Warriors truly believe in the pair of youngsters, if they can be as productive in the long-term as they have been in the past week, it’s possible the organization feels more comfortable parting with some veterans in consolidation trades than they otherwise would have.
Santos only makes the Warriors’ logjam at the forward position more complicated. The list of players Golden State considers best at the four? Green, Kuminga, Moses Moody, Kyle Anderson, Gary Payton II and Santos.
Post, as a floor-spacing center, could make either Kevon Looney or Trayce Jackson-Davis more expendable, if the Warriors truly believe he can consistently contribute at the moment. That’s a big if: defending in space and avoiding fouls are real concerns for the rookie.
Veteran players like Anderson, Buddy Hield and Payton — ahead of both youngsters in the pecking order initially — could become more dispensable if Post and Santos carve out true roles. It still wouldn’t be a mortgaging of the future, but subtracting veterans to shovel out a path for Santos and Post, while potentially shedding salary to dip under the luxury tax would make sense.
The question is whether there will be minutes for Post and Santos when everyone on the roster is fully healthy is somewhat missing the point. If Post and Santos truly deserve minutes, and continue playing like they have, then trading away a few players — perhaps on expiring deals — is the way to ensure they remain in the mix.
The Warriors have the option to do that. At least, they do for the next 14 days.
Originally Published: January 24, 2025 at 7:45 AM PST
