It wasn't all negative for the Golden State Warriors on Friday following their first blowout defeat of the season at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Just minutes after the final buzzer of Golden State's 136-117 defeat, the Santa Cruz Warriors began their season opener against the Valley Suns at Kaiser Permanente Arena. All eyes were on a couple of Warrior younger players, and in particularly 52nd overall pick Quinten Post.
Quinten Post impressed in the Santa Cruz Warriors' 133-118 win
Post was last seen in Golden State's final preseason game against the Los Angeles Lakers where he finished with eight points in seven minutes on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting. He started off in impressive fashion against the Suns on Friday, earning the first basket after a spin move in the paint.
The seven-foot center had eight points and seven rebounds in the first-quarter alone, helping his team to a 40-27 lead that Santa Cruz retained over the course of the game. Post completed his G League debut with a huge stat-line that included a team-high 25 points and 15 rebounds in the 133-118 win.
Post did much of his work on the inside but did step out and make two of his seven three-point attempts, with his 25 points coming on 10-of-19 shooting from the floor and a perfect 3-of-3 from the free throw line. Five of his 15 rebounds also came on the offensive end, while the 24-year-old added four assists and finished as a game-high +24.
Quinten Post with the first bucket of the season 💪 #SeaDubs pic.twitter.com/hQVmH8WdvR
— Santa Cruz Warriors (@GLeagueWarriors) November 9, 2024
It's an impressive and exciting opening for Post who's generated plenty of interest since being drafted in June, but he wasn't the only Golden State rookie to produce a strong showing in their G League debut.
Young guard Reece Beekman nearly had himself a triple double, with the 23-year-old going for 21 points, nine rebounds and seven assists while shooting an efficient 9-of-15 from the floor. The Warriors shot over 52% as a team and over 42% from three-point range, with the Suns in contrast shooting just 41.6% from the field.
While Post and Beekman were each playing a pivotal part in the season-opening win, Golden State's third two-way contracted player, Pat Spencer, wasn't active. A number of familiar faces from training camp and preseason were also key to the victory, including former ninth overall pick Kevin Knox II who was making his Santa Cruz debut.
After failing to earn a roster spot with Golden State, Knox had 24 points, six rebounds and two blocks in the 15-point win. Jackson Rowe also added 18 points, eight rebounds and four assists on an efficient 6-of-7 shooting, while Javan Johnson had 16 points to complete a starting lineup that all went for 15+.
The Warriors will again meet the Suns at Kaiser Permanente Arena in the second night of a back-to-back starting at 7PM PT on Saturday.