Gui Santos turned a surprise start into a statement Wednesday, scoring 20 points, grabbing six rebounds and handing out five assists as the Golden State Warriors beat the LA Clippers in their first play-in game. The 23-year-old was a team-high plus-16, and the Warriors are expected to keep him in the starting lineup Friday night for a win-or-go-home game against the Phoenix Suns.
Tim Legler, reacting to Santos’ breakout, said the Warriors wing now looks like a legitimate player for heavy rotational minutes on a good team and has the tools to become a long-term starter. Legler said he sees a player who can handle the ball, pass and shoot, and pointed to Santos’ athleticism and the way he defends with purpose. Santos, the Warriors’ 2022 second-round pick, spent years in the G League before becoming an NBA-caliber rotational player, and this year the team gave him a guaranteed contract.
That rise has shown up over the past eight games, when Santos averaged 17.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.4 steals while making 1.5 threes per game. Legler said he had watched Santos go from a feel-good story to a real answer for a team dealing with injuries, adding that the rookie-era hopes are now giving way to production that matters in the postseason race.
The timing is sharp. The Warriors have no margin for error Friday, and the winner advances to face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round. Golden State also carries into that matchup the confidence of a 3-1 regular-season series edge over Phoenix, but that advantage matters only if Santos and the Warriors can keep their recent momentum intact when the game starts.