Gui Santos’ absence from two upcoming World Cup qualifiers has caused some controversy in Brazil, with the young forward and the Golden State Warriors choosing to prioritize training camp ahead of another big season for the young forward.
The possible influence the Warriors had on this decision leaves them with little choice but to give Santos a big role early next season, rather than have the 24-year-old revert back to less opportunity in the rotation due to the presence of veteran forward Draymond Green and the addition of 11th overall pick Yaxel Lendeborg.
Warriors must give Gui Santos primary role after national team absenceÂ
Santos will have to solidify his role again during training camp and preseason to some degree, but missing these two national team games is also reflective of him being one of Golden State’s most important players after a breakout period to end last season.
There’s no coincidence that Santos was a mainstay of the Brazilian national team over recent years, only to now be sitting out of World Cup qualifiers on the back of developing into a bonafide NBA player and key part of the Warriors’ short and long-term future.Â
The former 55th overall pick averaged over 30 minutes across his final 31 games in the regular season, then played 31 and 30 minutes during Golden State’s two Play-In Tournament games against the L.A Clippers and Phoenix Suns. Even accounting for the addition of Lendeborg, Santos should still be playing at least 25 minutes while Jimmy Butler remains sidelined by injury, and assuming his late season form wasn’t some flash in the pan.
Perhaps that has to come at the expense of Green or other veteran options like Al Horford and Gary Payton II, but that’s exactly what Steve Kerr and Golden State need to do when the front office is already treating this like a gap year ahead of projected cap space in free agency next summer.
Warriors can't let Gui Santos rise go to waste
Santos' rise from fringe rotation player to legitimate offensive option was the biggest and one of the only sources of optimism and excitement for the injury-hit Warriors late last season. They can't afford for that to go to waste, particularly as they search for offensive creativity in Butler's absence.
It might be unfair to expect another major jump from the 15.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.4 steals Santos averaged over the final 31 games, but there's no reason he shouldn't be sitting around those numbers again.
If Santos enters next season only playing 12-15 minutes and without the production we saw at the end of last season, the decision to skip national team duties will look rather pointless and hardly worthwhile.Â
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