Gui Santos was always going to become even more important to the Golden State Warriors in the wake of Moses Moody's devastating injury, and the Brazilian forward wasted no time continuing to be the shining light in an otherwise dark period for the franchise.
After losing his spot to the returning Moody on Monday against the Dallas Mavericks, Santos swiftly returned to the starting lineup and delivered a career-best night as the Warriors decision to lock the 23-year-old into a three-year, $15 million contract extension continues to look even better.
Gui Santos contract is already looking like a steal for the Warriors
Santos led Golden State to an unconvincing win over the lowly Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night, dropping a career-high 31 points on a highly efficient 11-of-16 shooting from the floor and 4-of-6 from 3-point range.
The night could have been even better if not for Santos missing three of his eight free-throw attempts, but he and the Warriors did enough to stumble over the line after trailing by nine entering the fourth-quarter.
Wednesday night was a punctuation mark on Santos' incredible development over the past two months, and there's no coincidence that his career-best scoring night came in the absence of Moody and Jimmy Butler, along with superstar guard Stephen Curry.
Golden State have had to lean on Santos as a genuine offensive option in the past two months. The loss of Butler, departure of Jonathan Kuminga via trade, and now the Moody injury, means Steve Kerr has little choice but to play the former late second-round pick for big minutes given the lack of alternative wing/forward options.
The Warriors' decision to lock Santos into a new deal last month is looking better by the game, not just thanks to his continued development, but by his importance to an injury-plagued team that will extend into next season and beyond.
Gui Santos is making the most of his opportunity
In the two months since January 26, Santos has averaged 15.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.4 steals in 26 games, shooting a highly efficient 51.9% from the floor and 34.9% from 3-point range.
His footwork and subsequent finishing around the rim has been a real highlight for a Golden State team in need of interior scoring since Butler went out. Santos' nice-looking jump-shot means his 4-of-6 from beyond the arc on Wednesday isn't a total surprise, and offers optimism that he'll improve on his 35.2% from 3-point range this season.
While there remains plenty of uncertainty on exactly what the Warrior roster will look like entering next season, solidifying Santos as a likely starter on a bargain contract is certainly a strong piece of business.