Warriors coach Steve Kerr has switched between Quinten Post and Brandin Podziemski in his starting lineup through Golden State's first five games of the 2025-26 NBA season, and that will continue to be the case moving forward.
Post will be Kerr's first option when the Warriors need to go big, the coach explained after their 98-79 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday at Chase Center, with veteran center Al Horford coming off the bench.
"I think this is going to be a pattern for us," Kerr told reporters. "I really want to just bring Al off the bench. If he's going to be 20 minutes, 20 to 25 minutes, I'd rather have him come off the bench and be able to close with him if we need to, like we did against [the Denver Nuggets].
"So we'll probably go back and forth between Quinten and BP for now, just depending on what the center matchup looks like."
With 7-footer Ivica Zubac starting at center for the Clippers on Tuesday night, Post got the start and it paid off. The second-year big man was an incredible plus-34 with 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds in the Warriors' victory, giving Kerr a very valuable 24 minutes and 34 seconds in his second start of the year.
Podziemski came off the bench against Los Angeles one night after starting and scoring 23 points in Golden State's 131-115 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. He played about 5 minutes less against the Clippers than he did Monday night and posted 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting, with one impressive chase-down block on Chris Paul.
Both players have earned the right to start for the Warriors, in Kerr's eyes, with the 39-year-old Horford more suited for a reserve role.
"I thought BP was great," Kerr continued. "I didn't play him enough in the first half. I think I only got him out there for 9 minutes, and we missed his playmaking. So I've got to do a better job of doing what we did in the second half, which was finding lineups that they could play-make a little bit more.
"But QP was the story of the game. I mean, fearless out there, hit big shots, played great defense, and couldn't be happier for him, or for us, getting Quinten late [in the] second round a year and a half ago. He's turning turning into a really good player."
Before the season began, Post explained how he has learned from Horford since the five-time NBA All-Star arrived in the Bay. And so far, it looks like the vet's advice is paying off for the young center.