Stephen Curry‘s 56-point outburst was the catalyst of the latest Golden State Warriors win — a magical come-from-behind 121-115 victory over the Orlando Magic — that had them climb to seventh spot in the Western Conference standings.
But swept under the rug of the magical Curry flurry was the key adjustment Golden State coach Steve Kerr made at the start of the second half that threw off the Magic’s offense.
Kerr started Quinten Post, who has been a revelation and proving to be the biggest steal of last year’s draft, at center after halftime. While Post’s contribution was not as loud as Curry’s 35-point explosion in the second half, it was as profound.
The Magic’s size gave the Warriors a huge problem in the first half. Orlando led by as many as 17 because they had their way inside the paint. Orlando was plus-12 on points in the paint, scoring 30 on 15-of-20 shooting.
The Warriors neutralized that in the second half with Curry’s outside shooting and putting more size in their frontline.
“With the small lineup, can we do that against this team? And in the first half, if it didn’t work,” Kerr told reporters after the win. “So you make the adjustment and hope that it works. Quinten was great. He obviously knocked down shots, but it was his defense too and his size and what it did changing the matchups defensively that really helped us.”
With the 7-foot, 238-pound Post at the backline of their defense, it allowed Draymond Green to slide to Paolo Banchero and Jimmy Butler to Franz Wagner.
Draymond Green’s Defense on Paolo Banchero
They held the Magic to 13-of-27 shooting in the paint while Banchero, who had 24 points on 10-of-12 shooting in the first half, was limited to only 17 on 6-of-15 shooting in the second half.
Post credited Green’s defense on Banchero which helped the Warriors turn the tide in the second half.
“I think we had a lot of success last game with Draymond on Paolo,” Post told reporters after the game. “[Green] takes all those big time matchups really personal and then he just kind of leads us through that. He really set the tone defensively and then things started rolling on offense.
Banchero’s size was too much for Butler, who is a tenacious defender but gives up three inches in height, nearly five inches in wing span and 20 pounds in weight. The Magic star forward went 5-of-6 against Butler, per NBA.com’s matchup tracking data.
The bigger and bulkier Green forced Banchero to miss five of 11 attempts against his defense, which made a big difference.
The success of that gambit Kerr pulled off against the Magic gives the Warriors some hope they have the defensive versatility now to better match up against the bigger teams in the West.
Steph Curry-Quinten Post Tandem in 3rd Quarter
On top of his defense, Post also scored 10 of his 18 points in the third quarter where the Warriors dominated the Magic 40-21 primarily on the back of Curry’s 22-point flurry.
Post was in awe of Curry’s magical performance.
“Unbelievable,” Post told reporters afterward. “I mean you just kind of give him the ball and get out of the way … It’s insane. I’ve never seen something like that in person.”
But Post was also instrumental, which Kerr also highlighted during his postgame presser.
“That was a big stretch,” Kerr said of their third quarter performance that turned a 14-point halftime deficit into a five-point lead to start the fourth quarter. “We obviously set a tone right away and won the quarter 40 to 21, so, Quentin’s scoring was big. He knocked down a couple threes, but again, I think it was more about just the size that we could put out there to match Orlando. They’re a huge team and they beat us up in that first half.”
Quinten Post’s Development
Kerr is pleased with the development of Post, who was one of the most NBA-ready draft picks after spending five seasons in college.
“I think just a better sense of positioning on pick and roll,” Kerr said of one area where Post had quickly developed this season. “You saw him out there kind of playing cat-and-mouse [chase] a little bit. Maybe early in the season, he would have gone out to the perimeter and driven by.
“So, he has a better sense now of how to play that cat-and-mouse game and still protect the rim and get up to the touch on pick and rolls so that he can at least challenge a jump shot out there. So, he’s just a very very smart player and tough. He’s very competitive and tough and so he loves the challenge out there.”
Kerr’s praise is pleasing to Post’s ears. But the soft-spoken center’s maturity is what exactly the Warriors need.
“I thought I did some good things out there defensively,” Post told reporters. “Still [I’m] learning right when to step up when to help, when to stay home. It’s all in the details in this league. It’s all about knowing where to be and I feel like I’m adjusting and I’m learning every game.
“I try to be as vocal as possible. Be loud, use my size. I think we were clogging up the paint a lot, which made it harder for Paolo and Franz to finish, and for me, it was just being in the right positions and being loud so the guys in front knew that I was back there and ready to help out.”
Quinten Post Helps Warriors Land Jimmy Butler
Post’s emergence from being the 52nd overall pick into a key rotation piece for the Warriors also saved the franchise from going after Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vučević, who would have cost some of the salaries and draft capital which they later used to acquire Butler.
Post is averaging 8.2 points on 41.3% 3-point shooting with 3.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 14.8 minutes off the bench. The 24-year-old rookie gives the Warriors the stretch five, who can make them versatile on defense and create more space on offense, they desperately lacked.
“I’m pretty confident in what I can do and what I need to do better but if I can be that piece, that’s great,” Post said of trying to fulfill that role. “But for now, I’m just focusing on my growth and then seeing this team succeed is awesome and we’re playing for a playoff run. We’re playing for a championship so if I can be a part of that and if I can be a piece to that, that would be awesome.”
And at a $2.3 million deal over two years, it’s an absolute steal.
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