Quinten Post wants to take his game to the next level in his second NBA season.
The young Warriors center spoke exclusively with The Mercury News’ Joseph Dycus about his “busy” offseason and what he is looking to improve on after his standout rookie campaign.
After recovering from an ankle injury that sidelined him for the Warriors’ NBA Summer League slate, Post told The Mercury News that he has been working out five days a week at Chase Center and is focused on improving his strength and agility in order to become a better defender in Year 2.
“A big part for next year is guarding without fouling,” Post told Dycus. “I fouled too much, especially in situations where it wasn’t necessary, where I could just use my size to wall up and make guys take hard shots.”
Post quickly earned a role in coach Steve Kerr’s rotations as a sharpshooting big, shooting a team-high 40.8 percent from deep in 42 games (14 starts), but has made a concerted effort this offseason to improve as an all-around playmaker while not losing sight of what makes him such a unique weapon.
“On the (screen and) roll, being able to pass in those short-roll situations, and also finish versus smaller defenders is something I have worked on,” Post said.
“[Shooting] is the thing that brought me here, and I want to keep expanding on that and become a more versatile shooter.”
The Warriors reportedly are expected to sign veteran center Al Horford once their ongoing contract negotiations with restricted free-agent forward Jonathan Kuminga are cleared up, and if they do, Post likely will compete with third-year big Trayce Jackson-Davis for the backup center role.
Regardless of what role he plays, Post is ready to contribute any way he can.
“Whatever’s happening with the team, or outside the team, that shouldn’t change my motivation for this year,” Post added.
