A devastating injury to a star player can ultimately ruin a team's championship hopes, but it can also open a window of opportunity for others, which is exactly what Gui Santos has proven for the Golden State Warriors in the wake of Jimmy Butler's torn ACL.
Santos has been one of the biggest positives for the Warriors since the disappointment of Butler's injury, and the young forward has the perfect blueprint to continue this emergence in the form of Jordan Poole.
Gui Santos can follow Jordan Poole blueprint after Jimmy Butler injury
Poole and Santos aren't similar players whatsoever, but their situations can be as players who took advantage and capitalized on the opportunity handed to them by a star's unfortunate long-term injury.
After an incredibly underwhelming first season and a half in the league that included stints in the G League, Poole emerged almost out of nowhere as a key contributor during the final stretch of the 2020-21 campaign.
That opportunity would have never been afforded though without Klay Thompson continuing his recovery from two devastating leg injuries. The Warriors lost back-to-back Play-In games in 2021, but Poole carried on the momentum as a key starter for a team who started 18-2 the following season.
Thompson returned in the January and just months later, thanks to the contributions from he and Poole, along with the brilliance of Stephen Curry, Golden State triumphantly lifted another championship many didn't think possible.
That's the blueprint Santos has to try and follow now. He's likely never going to be the same level of dynamic scorer that Poole became in his time with the Warriors, but he also has a more versatile skillset that could deliver similar impact.
In the eight games prior to the All-Star break, Santos averaged 14.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.6 steals, shooting 59% from the floor and 39.4% from 3-point range while ranking third on the team in plus-minus.
With Butler on the sidelines, and Curry dealing with his own knee concern that will see him miss a sixth-straight game against the Boston Celtics on Thursday night, it's impossible to expect Golden State to go on a deep playoff run this season.
Yet they can use the final 27 games (and potentially the playoffs) to develop a bonafide core for when Butler returns next season, with Santos potentially headlining that as the biggest beneficiary of the untimely injury.