Golden State landed in Chicago still buzzing from that road win in Cleveland. They are now sitting at 12–12, where Pat Spencer unexpectedly stole the show, stepping up while Draymond Green, Stephen Curry, and Jimmy Butler were all out. So the Dub Nation crowd already knew this trip was going to look a little different. That’s why hearing Green would stay out again didn’t really shake anyone. After Saturday night, they’ve already seen this group make it work without their usual stars.

Athletics’ Anthony Slater reported on X, “Steve Kerr said sitting Draymond Green and Al Horford tonight in Chicago is precautionary. Warriors don’t play again until Friday. ‘Makes sense to give them four days before the next game. Let’s be safe.'”

Golden State listed Draymond Green with a right mid-foot sprain, and it’s technically his second straight game out, but this feels more like the team taking the careful route than anything alarming. He and Al Horford joined Stephen Curry on the sideline Sunday, while Chicago showed up with an even longer injury list of their own.

Once this game wraps vs. the Bulls, the Warriors will already have 25 games on the board, tied for the most in the league, and a huge chunk of those came away from home. The good news for them? That flips now. Starting next week they’ll finally spend more time in their own building than almost anybody.

There’s a four-day break before Minnesota on Friday, and only six games in the next 20 days. With extra rest coming, the expectation is Curry and Green return by the end of the week, and this whole load-management conversation can take a breather too.

Green’s foot trouble started when Dominick Barlow landed on him, and it didn’t help that he already had a little issue from Donovan Clingan falling on the same foot last month. He even missed a game in late November, rushed back for a few, then tweaked it again in Philly. At his age, and with how many dents this roster already has, it makes sense the Warriors are slowing things down.

Even before the Cleveland win, Kerr mentioned, “He looks good, he looks lean, he’s felt good. I don’t know if what happened tonight is related to what happened in the other night. We’ll, obviously, be very careful with him and we’ll see how he’s doing in Cleveland.” That’s basically what we’re seeing again in Chicago.

Quentin Post steps up as defensive anchor without Draymond Green

After steering the Warriors to a win in his first-ever start, Pat Spencer will open again in Chicago, this time with Jimmy Butler. The rest of the first five was a patchwork job, Buddy Hield, Will Richard and Quinten Post, because Steph Curry stayed home for the whole trip. 

Kerr had to shake things up anyway. Kuminga, Moody and Podz have all hit rough patches lately, and without the star players, Golden State can’t afford to wait for struggling players to find their rhythm.

That leads right to the most interesting name in that lineup: Quinten Post. 

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Everyone talks about Draymond as the heartbeat of their defense, and that’s still mostly true, but the numbers this season quietly show Post holding his own. He has a defensive rating of 102.5 vs Green’s 105.7. Both contest over 10 shots per game, but Post forces opponents to shoot 41.4% against him compared to Green’s 41.8%. The difference is small but meaningful.

Offensively, Post isn’t matching last year’s production; his points per game have slipped from 8.1 to 6.9, and his three-point shooting has dropped from 40.8% to 33.3%. But scoring isn’t the focus right now. The Warriors are missing half their veteran core, yet they sit third in defensive rating at 111.3 and recently held Cleveland, last season’s top offense, to just 94 points.

When defense is keeping the team afloat, Post’s high-level effort earns him more minutes and starting nods. That’s why Steve Kerr continues to put him in the lineup.