How the game rewarded Santos as next Warriors’ opportunity awaits originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Gui Santos quickly apologized, blushing as his skin turned bright red. The Warriors’ 22-year-old forward accidentally let an F-bomb slip out in his postgame press conference Thursday night. The reason he did so was perfectly emblematic of why Santos played a surprisingly huge role in the Warriors’ 107-104 win against the Detroit Pistons to start a four-game road trip.
For the first time all season, Santos received playing time in the first half of a game as the Warriors missed multiple players. Steve Kerr didn’t hesitate to use the 14th player on his roster, entering him in the game with a little under four minutes left in the first quarter. Santos immediately rewarded his coach by hitting a 3-pointer and then made his next two attempts in the second quarter, too.
His fourth try from behind the 3-point line at the 37-second mark of the first half didn’t connect, and Santos didn’t shoot once in the third quarter. Santos let it fly a little over a minute into the fourth quarter, and the result appeared to be an airball. Though Santos maintains he was hit on the elbow, that didn’t deter him.
Just two possessions later, Santos screened two Pistons for Steph Curry and found himself wide-open at the top of the arc. He hesitated for a split second, but then cashed in on his fourth three of the night, to the delight of the Warriors’ coaching staff and Santos’ teammates on the sidelines.
“I was like, ‘Yeah, you gotta shoot that one. You can’t fake just because you shot an airball.’ I was just like, ‘F–k that.’ Just shoot it,” Santos said after a short innocent but embarrassed laugh.
Kerr challenged his team Tuesday after what appeared to be rock bottom in a Warriors season full of extreme highs and even more extreme lows. They had just lost by a combined 46 points against teams without their best player. Kerr called it a “crisis of confidence,” not because shots weren’t falling for his team, but how the Warriors responded.
Slumped shoulders. Shaking heads. Lack of hustle. No fight, no spirit and no soul.
None of those negatives are associated with Santos. Kerr has been waiting to give Santos, who up until last game was playing on a non-guaranteed contract, a bigger opportunity. Searching for energy and effort wasn’t going to be a problem for him.
The game rewards what Santos brings.
Once Santos learned Andrew Wiggins would be out due to a positive personal reason, he had an idea he would be a part of the rotation for the first time this season. His plan upon hearing his number called wasn’t about points or taking shots, but diving for loose balls and doing all he could to make everything easier for his teammates.
“We talked before the game about how many battles can you win, little battles in the game – box outs, loose balls – he won a million battles tonight,” Kerr said. “That’s what wins games. He’s been waiting all year. He finally got his chance and he delivered, and that’s what this league is all about.
“[Warriors assistant coach] Ron Adams talks about it all the time. It’s a production league. You get your chance, you got to take advantage of it. Gui was brilliant. This game is about so much more than whether you make a shot or miss a shot. It’s defense. It’s rebounding. It’s hustle. It’s sprinting. Everything you saw Gui do tonight, that’s what wins games.”
The game rewards will as much as skill.
The Warriors outrebounded the Pistons 49-40, including 15-7 on the offensive glass. Santos had five rebounds, including three offensive. Golden State also had nine steals, seven blocks and 21 second-chance points, compared to only six by Detroit. Santos added two steals and kept numerous possessions alive off tips or putting his body on the floor.
Before Thursday night, Santos had appeared in 12 games for a total of 63 minutes this season, scoring 10 points and going 1 of 9 on threes. There wasn’t any time for him to knock off the rust. Players at the end of the bench aren’t afforded that extra leeway.
To overcome the young and promising Pistons, the Warriors needed all 25-plus minutes Santos played, a new career high for him. They needed all 13 of his points, which topped his season total and tied a career-high. More than anything, they needed a reminder of what it takes to win.
Through the walls of the visiting locker room, reporters in Detroit could hear loud cheers coming from Warriors players and coaches. The celebration was a symbol of togetherness for one person, someone who nearly every teammate shouted out on Instagram later in the night.
A player who practices his shot on every off day. Who is at every voluntary shootaround, visualizes how he’ll make an impact from the bench, has transformed his body since the Warriors selected him in the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft and who is the first to stand up and cheer on his teammates.
“Having guys like Steph, Draymond, all my teammates cheering for me is very special,” Santos said. “Especially in a game where I had an opportunity to be on the court. I played well, and to have the whole team cheering for me, that feels so good. That shows how together we are right now.”
The game rewarded Gui Santos, and the Warriors followed suit. He will be needed again, and box score stats again will come second, something the rest of the Warriors can always remember.
