Brandin Podziemski produced an impressive bounce-back performance on Monday night against the Memphis Grizzlies, leaving the Golden State Warriors with only one major problem through the first four games of the regular season.
Podziemski answered concerns over his form with 23 points on 5-of-7 3-point shooting, but there remains a huge question mark on Golden State's center rotation after a pair of radical lineup moves from Steve Kerr over the last two games.
Steve Kerr lacks trust in Quinten Post and Trayce Jackson-Davis
Kerr closed the first-quarter of Friday's loss to the Portland Trail Blazers with a lineup that essentially featured Jimmy Butler as the center, with Pat Spencer, Brandin Podziemski, Will Richard and Moses Moody also part of the extreme small-ball combination.
Kerr then played three minutes during the second-quarter on Monday with another radical small-ball group that had Jonathan Kuminga at the five, yet that group also consisting of Stephen Curry, Buddy Hield, Richard and Gui Santos did go on an 11-0 to build some momentum for the hosts.
With veteran big man Al Horford resting over the past two games against the Grizzlies and Trail Blazers, there was an expectation that Quinten Post and Trayce Jackson-Davis would see significant opportunity to press their mark on the season.
While their minutes certainly did increase with Horford's absence, it certainly wasn't as much as expected or in a way that suggests that Kerr has meaningful trust in either of the young center duo.
Post averaged 14.6 minutes over the last two games, with that proving less than the 16.4 he averaged during his rookie year. Jackson-Davis saw just over 22 minutes across both games, failing to take advantage of the opportunity following two-straight DNPs to start the season.
As Horford gets set to return against Ivica Zubac and the L.A. Clippers on Tuesday night, we can safely assume that Jackson-Davis will find himself out of the rotation again in what's shaping as a make-or-break third season for the 25-year-old.
Post might get his usual minutes at the top of the second-quarter, but second-half playing time is far from guaranteed after the former 52nd overall pick saw less than five minutes against the Denver Nuggets in Friday's overtime thriller.
The Warriors are making do for the moment with Horford, small-ball minutes from Draymond Green and whatever other pseudo center Kerr wants to put on the floor, but it's not sustainable and will likely only grow in concern as the season progresses. It's something that must be addressed rather quickly, either by showing greater faith in Post or by looking at alternative options that may be available on the trade market.