Getty Golden State Warriors rookie Gui Santos dribbles the ball during a summer league bout with the New York Knicks.
Back in July, Golden State Warriors rookie Gui Santos raised eyebrows around the league with what ended up being a summer league debut for the ages.
In a game that also featured No. 4 overall pick Keegan Murray, it was Santos who looked like the best player on the floor. Playing 25 minutes against the Sacramento Kings, the Brazilian import put up an efficient 23 points on just 13 shot attempts while adding six rebounds, three steals and a blocked shot.
Following his impressive summer league run, however, the 55th overall selection in the 2022 NBA Draft faded into the background. He has been getting his reps with the Dubs’ G League affiliate — the Santa Cruz Warriors — to be sure, but he hasn’t consistently stood out amid the gaggle of ballers looking to advance their careers.
Until now, that is.
Gui Santos Breaks Out Against Stockton Kings
While Santos has had a handful of highlight plays during his time with the Sea Dubs, the 20-year-old put on a legitimate show during the club’s heartbreaking overtime loss to the Stockton Kings on Friday.
In 27 minutes of play, Santos scored a game-high 31 point on 11-of-18 shooting for Santa Cruz, hitting three three-point buckets to go along with eight rebounds, three assists and four steals.
The game felt like a big step forward for the baller, who averaged only 8.2 points per contest through 17 Showcase Cup games and only came up with a deuce during Santa Cruz’s regular-season opener on Thursday.
Despite the big game, though, Santos likely won’t be getting time with the Big Dubs any time soon, even as the team is dealing with bumps and bruises up and down the roster.
“If they thought he could help them, he would absolutely get a shot. But they are not in a position to be bringing guys along right now, not with the issues on the bench,” a Western Conference executive told Heavy Sports‘ Sean Deveney earlier this season.
“Pat Baldwin Jr. is probably next up to get a chance, if any new young guy is going to crack the rotation, it would be him, they are high on him. That just makes sure that Santos is that much farther from the rotation. He has some promise but he is not ready yet.”
Not Replacing Vets Labeled Warriors’ ‘Biggest Regret’ for 2022
Bleacher Report‘s Dan Favale just dropped his list of the one thing that every team in the Association regrets about the year that was. And, for the Warriors, he ultimately landed on the team’s “two-timeline gamble” not paying off where the second unit is concerned.
It’s not so much that Golden State didn’t re-sign Gary Payton II or Otto Porter Jr. that the hoops scribe would say is the misstep so much as it’s what the club attempted to replace them with.
Wrote Favale:
Golden State might be alright in the end. But it wasn’t nearly aggressive enough with its smaller signings, roster spots or surfing the non-star trade market before now. And let’s face it, there’s something inherently unsettling about a defending champ being even kind of reliant on guys like Baldwin, Jerome and Anthony Lamb.