SAN FRANCISCO – The only way Quinten Post can best describe his 2024 NBA Draft experience is “totally busy.”
Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy was able to navigate the complexities of negotiation and red tape to reacquire the 52nd overall pick to acquire Post, a 7-foot stretch big man, hours after Golden State traded it to the Oklahoma City Thunder for shooting guard Lindy Waters III.
Post didn’t know if he’d be drafted until he got a call from his agent about five minutes before the Warriors game, telling him to be near a TV. The 24-year-old Boston College product wasn’t even technically home at the time.
Post, who was born in the Netherlands, was watching the draft with his girlfriend who lives in Puerto Rico, and as reality hit and the celebration began, he immediately called his parents in Amsterdam.
“At first I was quiet. I don’t think I had any words,” Post said Monday at Chase Center. “I didn’t really know what to say. It was just beautiful. Both my parents were crying, my sister was there. It was just beautiful. That’s all I can say.”
The Warriors had Post work on him privately at Chase Center before the draft, and his maturity and ability to use the court all over was immediately noticeable, a reflection of the extensive film the Warriors had on him and their pre-draft practices.
“He’s a good kid,” Dunleavy said Thursday after being drafted in the second round, “knows the game really well. I’ve sat down with him and watched film. I’ve interviewed him and talked to him about stuff, and that’s probably a reflection of his age.”
“He’s 24 years old and probably a little more mature. We felt he was a player with understanding. We have players with good chemistry and skill at that level, so we felt it made sense to draft him.”
For the second year in a row, Dunleavy was able to acquire a prospect who was not supposed to be a project in the draft. The Warriors traded in the second round a year ago to acquire Trayce Jackson-Davis, a player who was unfairly dropped in the draft due to his age after being the starting center for four years at Indiana University. Post has 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.
The past two years are when Post’s ability to torment defenses behind the three-point line as a pick-and-pop threat has truly shone through. Post was named the ACC’s Most Improved Player in 2022-23 after shooting 42.6% from three-point range, but that number improved to 43.1% last season. His effective field goal percentage of 57.2% in his final season ranked fourth overall in the ACC, and Post recorded the ninth-best true shooting percentage (60.7%) in one of college basketball’s best conferences.
But Post says his 3-point shooting at Boston College wasn’t out of the ordinary — rather, it reflects his time playing in Europe, rather than the start of his basketball career in the United States.
Getting the go-ahead from Boston College head coach Earl Grant to shoot has boosted Post’s confidence. In college, Post admits he returned the ball too far when shooting. Now, he wants to show he’s more than just a stationary shot taker.
“It’s not something I’ve added to my game, but rather something I’ve added at a high level,” he said. “One thing I didn’t do much in college was shooting movement. It was more spot-ups.”
“Even with my size, I think I can jump off screens and shoot on the move. I think in the Warriors’ system I can definitely do that and get better at it.”
Post didn’t start playing basketball until he was 11 years old, when he was instantly captivated by the play of Dirk Nowitzki, arguably the best 7-footer ever. If Post can replicate some of Nowitzki’s shooting prowess at his size, he could be in prime position to take on Steve Kerr and the Warriors — and make history in the process.
The same year the Minnesota Timberwolves passed on Stephen Curry twice in the 2009 draft, they took Henk Norell in the second round with the 47th overall pick, which was the last time a player from the Netherlands was drafted before Post heard his name called.
Norell never played in an NBA game. The last Dutch player to play in the NBA was Dan Gazellic, who was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2002. Gazellic played for four NBA teams, spending his 28th season with the Warriors in 2010-11.
Four players from the Netherlands signed NBA contracts last week, with the Warriors drafting a post player and others signing with teams after the draft.
“The Dutch are the tallest people in the world, but basketball hasn’t really exploded like other countries,” Post said. “The four of us really want to see basketball make waves across the country.”
“For me personally, I am very proud to play for the Netherlands.”
Post is currently dealing with a minor injury to his left ankle/calf sustained during pre-draft workouts. He flew to the Bay Area on Sunday night and has already been working out with the Warriors’ training staff. Post will not play in the California Classic summer league match but hopes to attend the team’s match in Las Vegas.
When Post gets to wear the No. 21 Warriors jersey in a game for the first time, he’ll be looking to become the latest prospect to make it big in the professional ranks while playing for an entirely new generation of Dutch basketball players.
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