Jimmy Butler hasn't played a game for the Golden State Warriors since January 19, but the veteran forward is still having a major impact on the franchise as the season draws to a close.
Gui Santos has been the biggest developmental piece for the Warriors since Butler's injury, and the Brazilian forward has spoken to and watched his veteran teammate when it comes to his ability in the paint offensively.
Jimmy Butler is still having an impact on the Warriors through Gui Santos
Santos has been arguably Golden State's most consistent player over the past two months, utilizing his ability in the paint and more than capable 3-point shooting to be a 15-point scorer on a nightly basis.
Yet the 23-year-old has elevated his ceiling over the past two games, recording the two highest scoring games of his career with 31 points on 11-of-16 shooting from the floor against the Brooklyn Nets, followed by another 27 on 8-of-12 shooting against the Washington Wizards.
Santos is shooting an incredible 70.5% from shots within five feet this season, including 69.1% since the start of February on much higher volume. His skill level and patience in the paint has been a notable aspect for the Warriors, with Santos recently commenting on how he's learnt much from Butler and his own games.
"So when you learn that and watch that, you see how much that works, and you know why he’s the great player that he is because he can do that all night. He can get into the paint because he’s strong, he’s tall, he can get in there, and just stop and take the decision after that," Santos said.
Gui Santos will remain hugely important in Jimmy Butler's absence
Santos' game and new-found scoring ability from multiple levels will remain incredibly important to the Warriors, particularly once/if Stephen Curry returns which should only make the former 55th overall pick even more dangerous.
There's also keen interest to see how this new version of Santos could perform next to Butler once the 6x All-Star returns from injury. Between that pair and the 7'2" Kristaps Porzingis if the veteran center re-signs in free agency, Golden State will look a lot different with multiple legitimate interior threats.
Until such time as Butler returns or the Warriors completely revamp their roster in the offseason, Santos will continue to be one of the team's leading offensive initiators.