Quinten Post enjoyed an impressive rookie season that surpassed all expectations, but the young big man is quickly learning just how difficult things can be for an inexperienced player on a veteran, playoff-contending team.
Perhaps Post should have known this all along given Steve Kerr's noted lack of faith in some young players over recent years, yet his inconsistent playing time is still somewhat perplexing over the past 10 days.
Quinten Post is learning the difficulty in earning consistent minutes at the Warriors
Post was a rare positive for the Warriors going back to the previous Friday's NBA Cup game against the Denver Nuggets, going for 14 points on a perfect 6-of-6 shooting from the floor. He added another 14 points and was a +17 in a home win over the Indiana Pacers two days later, suggesting he was rounding into some form and ready for more consistent opportunity.
Yet on this current road-trip, Post has averaged just 10.2 minutes per game -- ranked 12th on the team. That doesn't make a whole lot of sense given he'd scored 14 points in three of the previous four games before this period, not to mention the fact he still ranks second on the team (behind Draymond Green) in plus-minus this season.
Post's performances over the past few games have been underwhelming, but it's hard to produce consistently when the minutes aren't there. The second-year big played just 12 minutes again in Tuesday's loss to the Orlando Magic, with that coming despite the hosts dominating the Warriors on the interior with a 64-46 advantage in points in the paint.
The ironic aspect is that Post's defense and rebounding has actually improved so far this season. His defensive rating has gone from 109.1 to 105.2, while the rebounding percentage has lifted from 10.6% to 13.6%.
Post emerged as a late second-round pick last season though thanks to his 3-point shooting from the center position, something that's alluding him for the moment much to his detriment. Through 16 games he's shooting just 34.6% from beyond the arc, while he's only 43.1% from the floor overall as nearly 75% of his field-goal attempts come from 3-point range.
With Al Horford set to rest against the Miami Heat on Wednesday in the second night of a back-to-back, Post should get his opportunity to play 20+ minutes and reclaim a regular rotation role. That in itself adds an interesting storyline to Wednesday's game, with Post and the Warriors looking to finish their road-trip on a positive note.