Warriors’ depth pieces show potential trade value in loss to Pacers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Rarely is there much value in defeat, but the Warriors have many reasons to be pleased with what they saw from their undermanned roster and makeshift rotations Friday night.
Every basketball voice on the payroll surely hopes a considerable collection of NBA scouts were in attendance at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, watching closely, taking notes and loving what they saw from the Warriors in a 108-96 loss to the streaking Indiana Pacers.
This game provided, at the very least, observers around the league with solid auditions from a few Golden State players who might not be on the roster on Feb. 7.
With three starters – Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins – unavailable and rotation players Jonathan Kuminga, Gary Payton II and Brandin Podziemski also sidelined, Warriors coach Steve Kerr had no choice but to release his entire bench and hope for the best.
“Great effort,” Kerr told reporters in Indianapolis. “Shorthanded, back-to-back, the guys did a great job of really hanging in there. We just needed to have a little stretch, make three or four 3s in a row and get over the hump. I think it was 86-81 and we were right there. But (the Pacers) took care of business, knocked down some shots and couldn’t quite get there.”
Winning was highly unlikely for the Warriors, but there was enough impressive activity to inspire encouragement or – considerably more beneficial – attract the curiosity or interest of potential trade partners.
Kerr not only acknowledged that the topic has come up in discussions with the front office but then spent nearly a minute praising the potential of 7-foot rookie center Quinten Post, a second-round draft pick who is a project but has a nice touch from beyond the arc.
Post played only seven minutes, in the fourth quarter, but scored six points – including his first NBA 3-pointer.
“We’re generating a lot of our offense through our movement and split cuts and all that. If Quentin can develop, he could be a real threat for us and give us a totally different look offensively.”
