Don’t lose sight of Golden State Warriors second-round pick Gui Santos
For the many of us who follow the Golden State Warriors religiously, we have kept our eyes on this year’s second-round pick and 55th overall, Gui Santos. General manager Bob Myers had the option to stash the Brazilian for a year by sending him home while retaining his draft rights, but that would have likely proved detrimental to his development.
Charged with a hard decision to make before the Golden State Warriors could finalize their roster, Bob Myers orchestrated a path for Gui Santos’ future.
He could sign Santos to a standard G league contract with the option to convert the 20-year-old forward to a two-way. The time in Santa Cruz would allow him to adjust his game to NBA competition, while leaving Steve Kerr with the opportunity to expose him to the NBA later in the season.
Some teams in the league are keeping a close eye on Santos — the Sacramento Kings might be first in line after he lit them up for 23 points on opening night in the California Classic. Santos may have added more to that total if the Kings hadn’t have implemented a defense that doubled-teamed him during the entire second-half.
Santos is an athletic, energetic swingman – – at 6’8″, 209 pounds with a seven-foot wingspan and quick feet, the versatile forward projects as someone who can guard multiple positions and initiate the offense while dropping dimes to open teammates. He excels at attacking the basket to score and is adept at taking opponents off the dribble while possessing a high basketball IQ. His mentor and compatriot, Leandro Barbosa, is now on Mike Brown’s staff in Sacramento, and there’s little doubt the former Warriors would love to have Santos back under his wing.
Brazil’s promising prodigy was slow to adjust his game to the G League competition — in seven games he’s averaging 10.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists on 46.3% shooting from the field and 38.1% from three-point range.
Golden State Warriors make rapid Wiseman decision after Curry injury. dark. Next
But with a breakout game against West Coast rival the South Bay Lakers on Wednesday, where he had 17 points, nine rebounds and four assists on 5-for-9 shooting (3-for-4 from three), Santos has sent a notice to fans and the Warriors front office that he’s well and truly here to stay.