Quinten Post appeared in all 55 games for the Golden State Warriors before the All-Star break -- including 32 starts -- but the second-year center's rotation role has gone and likely won't be coming back unless injury strikes.
Post saw his first DNP of the season against the Boston Celtics on Thursday night, having already been the major victim of Golden State's trade for veteran center Kristaps Porzingis earlier in the month.
Quinten Post's rotation role may not be coming back this season
As much as the Porzingis trade came out of nowhere as a bombshell for fans -- particularly with all the focus surrounding a blockbuster deal for Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo -- acquiring the Latvian big man wasn't just some random move.
While the Warriors may have had Antetokounmpo as their priority, Porzingis clearly emerged as a desirable backup plan which came to fruition once the Bucks proved unwilling to trade their 2x MVP.
In completing the trade, Golden State moved their most athletic player in Jonathan Kuminga, leaving them somewhat short on forward options given Jimmy Butler suffered a season-ending torn ACL in January.
It had long been assumed that any Kuminga trade would be for another similarly-sized forward type, but Post's inability to solidify himself as a starting-quality center left the Warriors with another hole to fill.
The 25-year-old has become a sturdier interior presence this season, using his seven-foot size to alter shots at the rim more consistently. Yet on the other end, the 3-point shooting in which he based his game on during his rookie year has diminished, falling from 40.8% to 35% shooting from beyond the arc.
With Golden State clearly eager to use veteran Al Horford in a bench role rather than as a starter, and with the Draymond Green small-ball option still less than ideal, it's easy to see why the front office felt compelled to target Porzingis.
With the former All-Star making his debut for the Warriors on Thursday and with his minutes only going up from here, it's almost impossible to see Post returning to a rotation role this season when Porzingis, Horford and Green are available.
Of course, there will be games over the remainder of the regular season where that's not the case, but even in those it feels like Post will have to do something spectacular to regain a role when Golden State are healthy.
It's not as if Post provides a point of difference either. He, Porzingis and Horford are all stretch bigs whose primary value is their ability to stretch the floor, it's just that the latter two are better in other aspects and are far more experienced and proven to go with it.
With Porzingis set to be an unrestricted free agent and Horford holding a player option, perhaps this is just a short-term outcome and Post develops into a rotational player again for the Warriors next season and beyond.