Warriors rookie Quinten Post, once rescued by Steph Curry, is returning the favor

SAN FRANCISCO — About an hour after Quinten Post wrapped up a 20-minute, 20-point breakout performance in the Warriors’ 131-106 blowout home win over the Bulls on Thursday, he shared an unprompted story about Steph Curry that meant a lot to the unknown rookie.

After the team landed in San Francisco following a recent road trip, Post was having trouble finding a ride home around 2:30 a.m. Uber wasn’t working for him, he said. As many in the organization filtered into the parking lot and away from the airport, Curry, who often moves in his personal life at a methodical pace, saw the unsettled Post trying to figure out the logistics of his exit as the options dwindled.

“Steph’s like: ‘Are you trying to go home?’” Post recalled. “Yep. ‘I got you.’”

Post estimated that Curry took a 20-minute detour to get him where he needed to go. It was a small and forgettable gesture to Curry. When relayed that Post had shared it with reporters, Curry laughed in delight, said he “loved the kid” but that rookies reveal too much. But for Post, this was clearly a symbolic moment of leadership as he gets acclimated to NBA life.

“That just shows how he is as a person,” Post said. “Out of the 50 people at the airport, he was the last person that needed to worry about if I got home.”

Quinten Post told a story at the podium tonight of Steph Curry taking him home at 2:30 am after a road trip because Uber wasn’t working. Said it was probably a 20-minute detour but clearly meant a lot to Post. pic.twitter.com/TljEUCPX75

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) January 24, 2025

Post delivered that anecdote only because his on-court play warranted a trip to the podium. The Warriors have had a bottom-five offense in the league the last two months and, as they’ve lost Jonathan Kuminga and Draymond Green to injuries while tumbling through a 9-19 stretch, Steve Kerr has gone searching for some offensive answers.

Post, drafted 52nd in June and shoehorned into the roster on a two-way contract, had shown promise in his most recent G League stint, scoring 30, 30 and 27 in three early January games. He’s a true 7-footer who made 40-plus percent of his college 3s at Mississippi State and Boston College and impressed Green, Kevon Looney and the coaching staff in camp enough with his toughness and physicality to warrant an opportunity.

There were even people in the organization a little annoyed that the front office didn’t get him to Minnesota in time for that shorthanded game against the Timberwolves to close the previous road trip. The staff has gained increasing belief in recent weeks that Post, an older rookie at 24, might be able to fill an obvious void as a floor-spacing center.

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“He played five years of college basketball,” Kerr said. “He’s an old-school rookie. Guys 25 years ago came in ready to play because they played all that college ball and got that foundation under him. That’s Quinten. Then the biggest thing over the last couple months in Santa Cruz is the staff there did a great job of working him defensively. That was our biggest concern at the beginning of the season. Could he guard pick-and-roll? Could he get out on the perimeter? Could he be up to the level of the screen and get back into the paint? You saw that tonight.”

Post credited some of his defensive acclimation to regular conversations with former Warriors center Zaza Pachulia, who remains a prominent member on the business side of the organization and was spotted in the locker room postgame Thursday night.

But Post’s arrival into the rotation is about what he provides on the offensive end. Defenses are selling out to stop Steph Curry, and Post, a willing and accurate shooter, is benefitting by letting it fly from above the arc with regularity the last two nights. Post attempted 10 3s and made five of them in 20 minutes on Thursday against the Bulls. In 61 career minutes, he’s already attempted 22 3s.

“Last few games we’ve been kinda struggling offensively,” Post said. “That’s why I’m getting a chance. It doesn’t make sense if I come in and don’t play my game. Shot the shots I thought were good shots. Glad a few went in.”

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LET’S GO. https://t.co/6gFRLKhuyb pic.twitter.com/EXZX7u7pWf

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) January 24, 2025

Post was part of a bench eruption against the Bulls. Gui Santos hit five more 3s and had 19 points. The Warriors were a plus-31 with him on the floor. Moses Moody had four blocks and four 3s. The Warriors were a plus-33 with him on the floor. Brandin Podziemski returned from a 12-game absence and juiced the team’s pace, looking much like the high-impact rookie who burst on the scene a season ago.

But Post was the postgame story, and Curry hasn’t been able to hide his pleasure in the development. He beamed as a few of Post’s five made 3s went in against the Bulls.

“He picks and pops,” Kerr said. “That means the other team’s big guy has to go with him. That means that defender’s not in the paint. Steph (Curry) was the happiest guy in the building tonight with all that room to work with. The game got a lot easier for all of our guys.”

Post will continue to be a featured part of the rotation in the coming games. Stiffer tests are immediately ahead. The Warriors face Anthony Davis and the Lakers in a showcase game on Saturday night and Post will be a noted part of their pregame scout. How does Post handle the physicality? The Warriors face the Thunder next Wednesday. How does he handle what will be a targeted Shai Gilgeous-Alexander attack on him in space?

“He sees and feels the game and he’s got some toughness to him,” Kerr said. “He’s a physical 7-footer. He’s not a finesse 7-footer. He’s a real 7-footer and likes to mix it up.”

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(Photo: Kelley L Cox / Imagn Images)