Gui Santos has been arguably the biggest development for the Golden State Warriors over the past month, but there's one particular aspect that might be most pleasing for Steve Kerr and the coaching staff.
Getting consistency from their young players has been something the Warriors have struggled immensely with over recent years, headlined by Jonathan Kuminga whose career with the franchise was characterized by constant up-and-downs.
Gui Santos is providing incredible consistency for the Warriors
Unlike Kuminga, Santos doesn't necessarily have the individual skill and scoring ability to explode for 20 or 25-point games. However, what he does have is a versatile skillset, along with the IQ and work ethic to move smartly off ball.
That allows the Brazilian to generate shot attempts for himself and others, many of which are easy layups at the rim thanks to his cutting ability. As a result, Santos is building quite the consistency when it comes to his scoring over recent weeks.
After another 17-point outing in a stunning win over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, Santos has now scored at least 15 points in seven of the last nine games. The former second-round pick has an additional 13-point game on 5-of-7 shooting in the same period, meaning he's only gone under 10 points once (and even that was a nine-point display).
It's not just the scoring aspect where Santos is building consistency either. The 23-year-old has recorded five or more rebounds in five-straight games, having also had his first career double-double late last month against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Santos also averages nearly four assists, ranks first in field-goal percentage and 3-point percentage, and ranks fourth in plus-minus on the team in the last nine games. That ability to impact the game in a number of ways also brings a level of reliability, something Golden State haven't had too much previously with their young players.
Many would argue that Kuminga didn't deliver consistency because he failed to get that in playing time from Kerr, but there's no doubt the head coach struggled to provide that because he didn't know what he'd get from the former seventh overall pick on a game-by-game basis.
Things are clearly different with Santos. For a long time he brought the work ethic and hustle that earnt the respect of the coaching staff and his teammates, but now he's got the skill and confidence to deliver the consistency of a high-level role player.