Kurtenbach: Instant reaction to the Warriors’ second-round pick

Golden State Warriors General Manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. speaks during a press conference at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 19, 2023. The Golden State Warriors announced today that Mike Dunleavy Jr. will be replacing Bob Myers as the general manager. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

Adam Silver needs to fix the NBA Draft.

Because when the Warriors selected Boston College center Quinten Post on Thursday afternoon, I had no idea that the Warriors did, in fact, acquire him.

No, I — like the rest of you and ESPN, too — thought that the Warriors were trading pick No. 52 to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Lindy Waters III, a depth wing.

Turns out, the Warriors did make that trade.

Then they bought that pick back… from Portland, who had traded for it after the Warriors and Thunder agreed to their trade.

It’s enough to make your head spin.

What’s not jarring, however, is the selection of Post.

There’s a simple argument for him as a selection: he is 7 feet tall and can shoot. Add in the ability to put the ball on the floor and some nice passing skills and you have a ready-for-the-NBA, plug-and-play stretch center — someone who can immediately take the Warriors’ second unit to another offensive level.

Or, in other words, the Warriors finally acquired Mike Muscala — the stretch five whom the Warriors have been linked to for the past 20 years, give or take.

(Post, huh? What’s the opposite of nominative determinism?)

Post — a native of the Netherlands — really does have a sweet stroke. And it’s not all show and no substance, either — he posted a 51/43/82 line last season and a 54/42/86 season the year before.

Can he play defense? Not really. He lacks NBA athleticism, posting the lowest vertical leap at the combine (27 inches). He’s going to struggle against the pick-and-roll — it’s not an issue of being off-balance or surprised, it’s simply an issue of physical ability. And at 25 years old, there’s little reason to think it’s going to get much better.

But who cares? He can shoot and that’s the name of the game in today’s NBA.