Set to face All-Star big men Karl-Anthony Towns, Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo, this was supposed to be a huge three-game in four-day litmus test for Golden State Warriors rookie Quinten Post.
Post has been a revelation for the Warriors over the past couple of months, nailing his opportunity in the rotation to the point of starting 11 games so far in his first year. But after starting the last three games in which Golden State won by a combined by 41 points, Post was removed from the opening five ahead of Saturday night's game against the New York Knicks.
The Warriors may regret a missed Quinten Post opportunity
Instead of giving Post the challenge of going head-to-head with one of the best big men in the league, Steve Kerr started small with Gui Santos which allowed Draymond Green to take the Karl-Anthony Towns matchup.
Perhaps it was the right decision given the Warriors recorded a 97-94 victory, which included Green blowing by Towns for the game-sealing layup in the final 30 seconds. It's not as if Green completely negated Towns though, with the former number one overall pick finishing with a game-high 29 points and 12 rebounds on 12-of-21 shooting from the floor and 3-of-5 from 3-point range.
For what it's worth, Post still played his usual 19-20 minutes and was solid with five points, six rebounds, two assists and a block. His presence as an interior defender continues to improve, yet it's clear from the pre-game decision that Kerr had issues with Post's ability to close out and guard Towns on the perimeter.
While the seven-footer may have still played over 19 minutes, the decision not to start him and even give him an opportunity guarding Towns says a lot about where he stands heading into the playoffs -- that Golden State don't view Post as a starting quality center against opposing teams with a talented big.
That might be a move the Warriors come to regret, with Post's combination of size and shooting giving them a high upside piece that could be (and already has been) a real difference-maker.
In Kerr's defense, the decision may simply come down to the urgency Golden State are currently playing with. Despite having won 14 of their past 16 games, the franchise remains just half a game ahead of the seventh-seed Minnesota Timberwolves. Kerr would likely identify that he simply can't risk losing any games in order to give one individual player an opportunity that they may or may not succeed in.
It will now be interesting to see what the Warriors do over their upcoming back-to-back, and whether Post returns to the starting five because Jokic and Antetokounmpo are more interior threats as opposed to Towns. Santos had five points and seven rebounds in his starting role, while recent starting guard Brandin Podziemski is expected to be back by Tuesday's game against the Bucks.