Through 45 games, the Golden State Warriors have seen their fair share of ups and downs.
After starting off the year with a scorching hot 12-3 record and pulling out wins against some of the association’s top teams, the Dubs have since found themselves in the midst of a period of serious regression.
Between key pieces like Jonathan Kuminga and Draymond Green missing significant time due to injury and the Dubs’ offense going absolutely ice-cold since December, things have been anything but smooth sailing. And their record reflects that. Currently, the Warriors sit at 22-23 on the year, good for 11th place in the NBA’s hyper-competitive Western Conference.
While the team remains just roughly two games out of the seventh seed, they’ll need to get things back on track if they want to find their way into post-season play.
Despite things not exactly going according to plan this year for the Dubs, the season has also featured the occasional bright spot.
One of those bright spots has been the recent play of rookie center Quinten Post and second-year forward Gui Santos.
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Rookie Quinten Post Showing Promising Flashes
For what feels like years at this point, the discussion surrounding the Warriors’ offense has been their consistent lack of spacing, particularly at the five-spot.
Quinten Post appears to be just what the doctor ordered for the Dubs.
The rookie center has an intriguing skillet that, when combined with his raw intangibles, suggests he has the tools to be an impactful player at the NBA level.
He just needed the opportunity.
And, on Jan. 23rd, Post got that opportunity. The 24-year-old big-man turned in easily his most impressive NBA performance to date, registering 20 points and hauling in five boards en route to a 131-106 Warriors’ victory over the Chicago Bulls.
While on the court, Post looked like a legit floor-spacing threat, knocking down five of his attempts from behind the arc during his career night. In the end, Post finished as the Dub’s second-leading scorer behind superstar point guard Stephen Curry, whom the rookie center appeared to have good on-court chemistry with throughout the contest.
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Not only was this game proof of what integrating a 7-foot floor-spacing threat into the Warriors’ lineup on a consistent basis can do for the team’s offense, but also that Post could potentially be someone to help fill that role on the roster.
Though it remains just a small sample size of a few games, it appears that Quinton Post could be blossoming into a valuable asset for the Dubs moving forward.
Gui Santos Emerging as “Microwave Scorer”
After spending nearly two full seasons developing within the Warriors’ system, Gui Santos was finally rewarded with his shot to prove to the organization he could be a legit rotational player in this league.
And the 22-year-old took full advantage of said opportunity.
Santos, a former second-round selection by the Warriors in 2022, experienced his breakout game on Jan. 22nd against the Sacramento Kings. In that game, Santos registered 16 points, five rebounds, and two assists and looked comfortable during his 23 minutes of action. Santos displayed his impressive scoring capabilities, knocking down four of his five attempts from deep.
Like his teammate Quinten Post, Santos also shined during Golden State’s Jan. 23rd victory against the Bulls. During 27 minutes of action, Santos tallied a career-high 19 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and a steal while on the court vs. Chicago. Again, Santos displayed his sharpshooter abilities, going five for six from behind the arc. Apart from his scoring talents, Santos also gives the Dubs another scrappy defender who’s frame allows them to make the occasional big play on defense.
These back-to-back performances from Santos suggest he has the ability to be a legit “microwave scorer” for the Dubs off the bench and potentially a spark plug for an offensive unit that has struggled as of late.
What This Means For The Dubs Moving Forward
Much of the conversation surrounding the Warriors this season has revolved around potential moves the team could make on the league’s open trade market. While this makes sense in the short term, the byproduct of this thinking is sacrificing the long-term development of prospects can become an afterthought in all the noise.
That said, seeing quality play from young pieces like Quinten Post and Gui Santos is certainly an encouraging sign from a developmental perspective.
While they may not be the sure-fire immediate answer to all of Golden State’s issues, both Santos and Post have solidified themselves as not only competent rotational-caliber pieces for the Dubs but also players to be considered in the organization’s long-term plans.
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