SAN FRANCISCO – The only way Quinten Post could best describe his experience in the 2024 NBA Draft is “completely hectic.”
Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy, through a maze of maneuvering and formalities, was able to re-acquire the No. 52 overall pick to take Post, a 7-foot stretch big man, hours after Golden State previously sent the selection to the Oklahoma City Thunder for shooting guard Lindy Waters III.
Post didn’t know if he would be drafted or not before hearing from his agent about five minutes before the Warriors were on the clock, urging him to make sure he was around a TV. The 24-year-old Boston College product wasn’t even technically home at the time.
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Post, born in the Netherlands, was watching the draft with his girlfriend who lives in Puerto Rico. Once reality set in and the celebration was underway, Post immediately called his parents back in Amsterdam.
“I was quiet at first. I don’t think I had words,” Post said Monday at Chase Center. “I didn’t really know what to say. It was beautiful. My parents were both crying and my little sister was there. It was just beautiful, that’s all I can say.”
The Warriors privately worked out Post at Chase Center before the draft. His maturity and ability to stretch the floor stood out right away, mirroring the extensive film they had on him as well as their background work.
“You know what, sharp kid,” Dunleavy said Thursday following the second round of the draft. “Knew the game really well. We sat down and watched some film with him. We interviewed him and talked through things, and that’s probably reflective of his age.
Golden State Warriors
“He’s 24 and probably a little more mature. We just felt like he’s a guy that gets it. You have a guy that you’re good with on that level, good with the skill set and it felt like it made a lot of sense to try and draft him.”
Dunleavy for the second straight draft was able to add a prospect who shouldn’t be a project. The Warriors traded back into the second round a year ago to snag Trayce Jackson-Davis, someone who unfairly slid in the draft due to his age after being the starting center at Indiana for four years. Post has even more college experience than Jackson-Davis did. He spent five years in college, having played his first two seasons at Mississippi State before transferring to Boston College for his final three years.
The last two years is where Post’s ability to hurt defenses behind the 3-point line as a real pick-and-pop threat truly 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 this past season. His 57.2 effective field goal percentage ranked fourth in all the ACC for his final season, and Post had the ninth-best true shooting percentage (60.7 percent) in one of the best college basketball conferences.
But Post says his 3-point shot at Boston College isn’t an outlier. Instead, it’s more a reflection of how he played in Europe as opposed to the start of his American basketball career.
Getting the green light to let it fly from Boston College head coach Earl Grant gave Post the confidence he needed. In his earlier college days, Post admits he brought the ball back way too far during his shot. Now, he wants to show he’s capable of being more than just a stationary shooter.
“That’s not something I added to my game. It’s more so something I added back at a high level,” he said. “I feel like something I haven’t really done too much in college is shooting off movement. I was more so spotting up.
“I do think even at my size I can shoot somewhat on the move, coming off screens. That’s definitely something also I think in the Warriors’ system I’ll be able to show but also improve on.”
Post didn’t begin playing basketball until he was 11 years old when he instantly gravitated to watching perhaps the greatest shooting 7-footer: Dirk Nowitzki. If Post is able to bring an ounce of Nowitzki’s shooting at his size, he should be able to find the floor for Steve Kerr and the Warriors much sooner than later. He also would be making history along the way.
The same year the Minnesota Timberwolves twice passed on Steph Curry in the 2009 draft, they also took Henk Norel in the second round of the draft – No. 47 overall. That marked the last time a player from the Netherlands was drafted, prior to Post hearing his name called.
Norel never played a game in the NBA. Dan Gudzeric, picked by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2002 draft, was the last NBA player to represent the Netherlands. Gudzeric spent 10 seasons in the NBA between four teams, including 28 with the Warriors in the 2010-11 season.
Between the Warriors drafting Post and others signing to teams after the draft, four players from the Netherlands inked NBA deals this past week.
“The Dutch, we are the tallest people in the world but basketball just hasn’t really exploded as it has in some of the other places,” Post said. “I think for the four of us, we do hope that it creates a wave throughout our country.
“Me personally, I’m very proud to represent the Netherlands.”
Post currently is dealing with a minor left leg injury to his ankle/calf area that he sustained working out before the draft. He flew to the Bay Area on Sunday night and already is working with the Warriors’ training staff. Post doesn’t expect to play any summer league games in the California Classic and hopes to be part of the team’s games in Las Vegas.
Whenever Post is able to wear his No. 21 Warriors jersey for the first time in a game, he’ll be looking to be their latest pro-ready prospect while playing for a whole new generation of Dutch basketball players.
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