Why Santos’ rise should earn him Warriors playoff rotation spot originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – In a game where Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler combined to score 58 points, Curry reached his 25,000 career points and a Draymond Green 3-pointer with 35 seconds left sealed the Warriors’ 115-110 win against the Detroit Pistons, it was Gui Santos who had the two most eye-popping highlights on the night Saturday at Chase Center.
Santos in the third quarter rose for a huge block on Pistons center Jalen Duren, getting teammates and coaches alike up off the bench in admiration. With the Warriors down by one points and a tick under seven minutes remaining in the game, Santos soared on offense.
Reading a misfired 3-point attempt from Curry that bounced off the rim and backboard, Santos positioned himself behind Ausar Thompson, leapt off two feet and with his right hand kissed a putback through the nets as he fell to the hardwood. Pounded his chest, walking to the crowd and roaring with pride, Santos met the moment.
Picking between the two highlights, Santos chose the latter.
“I like hyping the fans and everybody,” Santos said. “I think that was the moment the fans were like, ‘OK, we have to help them to win this game.’ They started cheering more, screaming more. It’s very good when you have your fans cheering for you, you’re playing at home and everything is going right for you.
“That one was my favorite tonight.”
However, Santos didn’t realize his block on Duren was the play that led to a Curry 3-pointer pushing him past 25,000 career points. When told in the locker room, Santos smiled and said, “I guess I can say I helped with history, too.”
He has more than helped the Warriors this season, becoming a key contributor that should be a part of the playoff rotation, even when Golden State is at full strength.
His recognition and help defense was perfect to block an athletic, 6-foot-10 Duren. Santos admitted he didn’t fully think he’d be able to block Duren’s dunk attempt, not knowing it was clean until looking up from the floor. The way he timed his jump couldn’t have been any better.
Gui Santos’ block on Jalen Duren was ridiculous last night
Asked Gui about it after in the locker room. He admitted he didn’t think he’d block it but it was perfect timing and once he looked up on the ground he knew it was clean. The block led to Steph Curry’s 25,000th point pic.twitter.com/juSd5d49gV
— Dalton Johnson (@DaltonJ_Johnson) March 9, 2025
Santos played 25 minutes off the bench, the most by any Warriors reserve in the win. His 15 points also led all bench players, and placed him third on the team behind only Curry and Butler. Santos also came down with six rebounds, another high from the bench, and his plus-14 wasn’t only the best from the bench but led all players in the game.
Ironically, the Warriors’ first game against the Pistons this season, a three-point win on Jan. 9, was Santos’ first opportunity at playing real and meaningful minutes this season.
Jonathan Kuminga had recently gone down to an injury, and Andrew Wiggins and Moses Moody also were out with injuries. So in came Santos, doing what he shows on the practice court every day, lifting the Warriors behind an injection of energy and effort, which resulted in playing 26 minutes off the bench and finishing as a plus-7 with 13 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.
“I’m thrilled for him,” Kerr said. “He just knows what he’s doing, and he plays with so much passion and energy.”
Kerr also recognizes Santos’ high basketball IQ. His cutting is as good as any player on the Warriors. Kerr specifically called out one instance in which Santos in the first half Saturday night made a backdoor cut that turned into two points off an assist from Trayce Jackson-Davis. He also mentioned a play in the Warriors’ recent win against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
In that play Kerr referred to, Santos set a screen at the top of the arc for Curry and upon seeing him get double-teamed, Santos immediately cut to the basket where Green hit him with a bounce pass for a wide-open dunk to give the Warriors the lead in the third quarter.
“That was not a called set,” Kerr said. “It was just basketball happening and he’s always in the middle of that. He knows how to play, and the game continues and really flows when he’s out there. We call them connectors. That’s the popular word these days.
“He’s a connector.”
And he also reminds Curry of another former Warriors fan-favorite whose heart and hustle was impossible to not appreciate: Juan Toscano-Anderson.
“He’s got a little Juan T in him,” Curry said. “He seems very comfortable out there, the more reps he gets. You can see the passion too, how much it mattered. That And-1, his reaction was everything. He’s in the game, you know you’re going to feel his presence.”
The Warriors hope opposing teams soon feel Kuminga’s presence, too. The 22-year-old has missed the Warriors’ last 30 games to a badly sprained right ankle. He likely will make his return at some point during the Warriors seven-game homestand that began Saturday night.
Either way, having Kuminga back can’t mean losing what Santos brings to games.
“It’s a really difficult thing when you are playing really well and then you have a key guy coming back,” Kerr said. “I think the idea is just to bring him along slowly, play him in short bursts, help him get his rhythm back.
“But we’ve got to keep playing Gui Santos. We’ve got to keep playing guys who are helping us win right now. This stuff has to play out, and we’ll hope that it plays out.”
Santos is here to stay, and Kerr knows it. Taking what he learned developing in Santa Cruz, the ball never sticks to his hands. Wings with his size, grit and ability to make open shots can help determine playoff games.
Butler flipped the Warriors’ season. They’re about to get another addition for the stretch run in Kuminga. Santos’ in-house ascension has been the X-factor nobody had on their Bingo card, and his story isn’t ending anytime soon.
