Post’s ‘eventful’ Warriors draft experience could lead to Dutch history originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – The only way Quinten Post could best describe his 2024 NBA Draft experience is “completely agitated”.
Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy, through a maze of maneuvers and formalities, was able to reacquire the No. 52 overall pick to pick up Post, a 7-foot-tall big man, hours after Golden State sent the draft pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder for a shot at point guard Lindy Waters III.
Post didn’t know if he would be drafted or not before he heard his agent about five minutes before the Warriors arrived asking him to make sure he was near a TV. The 24-year-old Boston College product wasn’t even technically home at the time.
Post, born in the Netherlands, was watching the draft with his girlfriend who lives in Puerto Rico. Once reality set in and the celebration began, Post immediately called his parents in Amsterdam.
“I was quiet at first. I don’t think I had any words,” Post said Monday at Chase Center. “I really didn’t know what to say. It was beautiful. My parents were crying and my little sister was there. It was just beautiful, that’s all I can say.”
The Warriors worked privately at the Post at Chase Center before the draft. His maturity and ability to stretch the floor stood out immediately, mirroring the extensive film they made about him, as well as his background work.
“You know what, smart kid,” Dunleavy said Thursday after the second round of the draft. “He knew the game very well. We sat and watched a movie with him. We interviewed him and talked about things, and that probably reflects his age.
“He’s 24 and probably a little more mature. We just feel like he’s a guy who gets it. You have a guy that you’re good with at this level, good with the skill set and it seemed like it made a lot of sense to try and sign him.”
Dunleavy, for the second draft in a row, managed to add a prospect who wasn’t supposed to be a project. The Warriors went back to the second round a year ago to get Trayce Jackson-Davis, someone who unfairly fell out of the draft due to his age after being a starter at Indiana for four years. Post has even more college experience than Jackson-Davis. He spent five years in college, playing his first two seasons at Mississippi State before transferring to Boston College for his final three years.
Over the past two years, Post’s ability to hurt defenses from behind the 3-point line as a true pick-and-pop threat has really shined. Post shot 42.6 percent from three in 2022-23, when he was named the ACC’s Most Improved Player, and that number rose to 43.1 percent from three last season. His 57.2 effective field goal percentage ranked fourth in the entire ACC in his final season, and Post had the ninth-best true field goal percentage (60.7%) in one of college basketball’s best conferences.
But Post says his three-point shot at Boston College is no exception. Instead, it’s more of a reflection of how he played in Europe as opposed to his early American basketball career.
Getting the green light from Boston College coach Earl Grant gave Post the confidence he needed. In his early college days, Post admits he brought the ball too far when throwing. Now, he wants to show that he is capable of being more than just a stationary shooter.
“That’s not something I added to my game. It’s another thing I added at a high level,” he said. “I feel like something I didn’t do much of in college is stimulating the movement. I was more attentive.
“I think that even with my size I can film on the move, leaving the screens. That’s definitely something that I also think in the Warriors’ system I’ll be able to show, but also improve on.”
Post didn’t start playing basketball until he was 11 years old, when he instantly began watching perhaps the greatest 7-foot shooter: Dirk Nowitzki. If Post can bring an ounce of Nowitzki’s shooting to his size, he should be able to find space for Steve Kerr and the Warriors much sooner rather than later. He would also be making history along the way.
The same year the Minnesota Timberwolves passed on Steph Curry twice in the 2009 draft, they also took Henk Norel in the second round of the draft – number 47 overall. That was the last time a Dutch player was called up, before Post heard his name called.
Norel never played in the NBA. Dan Gudzeric, selected by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2002 draft, was the last NBA player to represent the Netherlands. Gudzeric spent 10 seasons in the NBA with four teams, including 28 with the Warriors in the 2010-11 season.
Between the Warriors Draft Post and others who signed with teams after the draft, four Holland players signed NBA deals last week.
“The Dutch are the tallest people in the world, but basketball hasn’t exploded like it has in some other places,” Post said. “I think for the four of us we hope this creates a wave across our country.
“I personally am very proud to represent the Netherlands.”
Post is currently dealing with a minor injury to his left leg in the ankle/calf area, which he suffered during pre-draft workouts. He flew to the Bay Area on Sunday night and is already working with the Warriors’ training staff. Post does not wait play any summer league game at the California Classic and hopes to be part of the team’s games in Las Vegas.
Whenever Post can wear his No. 21 Warriors jersey for the first time in a game, he will look to be the latest pro prospect while playing for a new generation of Dutch basketball players.
