Quinten Post has brought a refreshing excitement to the Golden State Warriors over recent games, with the team's need for a stretch five delivering the rookie center a significantly rotational role off the bench.
Post had a career-high 20 points against the Chicago Bulls on Thursday, then added eight points, two rebounds and three assists while not looking overawed in a primetime game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night.
Quinten Post's development suggests the Warriors made a mistake in the offseason
The question has now become whether Golden State need to acquire a more proven shooting big prior to the February 6 trade deadline, or whether they should just further develop Post by giving him 20-25 minutes per game over the remainder of the season.
The Warriors have been strongly linked to a trade for Chicago Bulls big man Nikola Vucevic, with the 2x All-Star potentially giving the franchise a starting-calibre stretch five who's averaged over 20 points and 10 rebounds so far this season.
But it's easy to forget that Golden State could have added another seven-footer shooter in addition to Post during the offseason, having had significant talks with the Utah Jazz surrounding 2023 All-Star Lauri Markkanen.
The Warriors were ultimately unwilling to match Danny Ainge's steep asking price, leaving Markkanen to renegotiate and extend his contract with the Jazz in August. That's eliminated the Finnish forward from being in trade discussions prior to the deadline, though Utah could still be a seller over the coming days.
Post may have been a revelation over the past week, but it's also come over halfway through the season and at a point where Golden State have given themselves plenty of work to do just to make the Play-In Tournament.
It's left many wondering where the Warriors could have been had they acquired Markkanen or had another stretch big entering the season. Not only would Markkanen have been that high-volume, efficient seven-foot 3-point shooter, but he could have also been the second 20+ point per game scorer that Golden State have desperately needed to support Stephen Curry.
Granted, Markkanen is having a less efficient year, averaging 19.7 points and 6.1 rebounds while shooting 35.6% from beyond the arc. It's also difficult to evaluate his numbers given the Jazz are prioritizing their youth, hold a 10-33 record and are last in the Western Conference standings.
Who knows, maybe the Warriors can explore a Markkanen deal again in the offseason once he's trade eligible. That's going to be far more difficult and not as valuable given the 27-year-old is set to make $46.4 million next season.