Quinten Post was the hero for the Golden State Warriors in Wednesday's comeback preseason victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, having gone for 15 of his team-high 20 points in the fourth after the hosts had entered the period with a 19-point deficit.
Post's 3-point shooting and in particular his pick-and-pop ability was on full display in the 129-123 victory, but it also presents a problem for Steve Kerr and the coaching staff given the very real limitations that surround other aspects of his game.
Steve Kerr has to strike a balance with Quinten Post's minutes
Post has already emerged as one of the best seven-foot shooters in the entire league, having shot a team-high 40.8% from beyond the arc in his rookie season. The 25-year-old went 4-of-9 (44.4%) from beyond the arc against the Trail Blazers, including 3-of-4 in the fourth as part of Golden State's 51-point outburst.
Post's 3-point shooting is clearly a weapon that Kerr has to utilize especially throughout a long regular season, yet he must also strike a balance with the amount of minutes the young big man gets until he proves himself consistently capable on the defensive side of the ball.
Hey Mr. Post-man 👌
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) October 9, 2025
📺 @NBCSAuthentic pic.twitter.com/zk81Gj6baz
Post had just four rebounds in his 25 minutes, with the Trail Blazers beating the Warriors up on the glass with a 23-9 differential in offensive rebounds including 6-3 in the final period. That's now seven boards in nearly 41 minutes for Post across two preseason games, with the coaching staff undoubtedly wanting more from their seven-footer in that element.
Post has shown some glimpses of improved rim protection throughout the first two games, but not at a level where you'd consider him to be a plus defender by any means. That's going to be at the heart of the issue for Kerr -- how does he maximize Post's shooting while ensuring he's not a liability on the defensive end?
Fortunately Golden State haven't reached a point where they're going to be relying on Post for 25-30 minutes per game, at least not in games where Al Horford and Draymond Green are available. It would still be nice for the former 52nd overall pick to improve defensively to the mark where that's a legitimate option for Kerr though if required.
There's no doubt that Wednesday's outing was ultimately a positive one for Post given his fourth quarter, but it still leaves genuine question marks on what exactly his role will look like in a full-strength rotation entering the season.