As the Golden State Warriors fell to the Houston Rockets, 109-94, a plethora of roster issues caused their demise.
The most obvious of these were the absences of Jimmy Butler, who suffered a pelvic contusion in the first half following a collision with Rockets forward Amen Thompson, and Brandin Podziemski, who was suffering from flu-like symptoms throughout the night.
Podziemski and Butler played only 22 minutes combined, leaving the Warriors without two of their starters and primary scorers.
From the players who were on the floor, however, sloppy play and offensive stagnancy kept Golden State out of the game for much of the night, and one rookie's performance especially bodes negatively for his viability as the playoffs continue.
Gui Santos' Game 2 performance was not a good sign
Warriors rookie, Gui Santos, has been a positive presence on the roster for much of this season, averaging 4.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists through 56 games for the team.
His ability to make hustle plays, playing solid on-ball defense, grabbing offensive rebounds, and diving for loose balls, led head coach Steve Kerr to giving him relatively significant minutes for a rookie of his skill set as the season wore on.
However, Santos encountered trouble against the staunch, swarming defense and fast-paced offense of the Rockets.
In just under 11 minutes of time on the floor, Santos scored only three points and sustained two turnovers and four personal fouls. In the second quarter alone, in which the Rockets extended their lead beyond the reach of Golden State, Santos had a turnover and two fouls in just three minutes.
In a game where the Warriors desperately needed to go deep into their rotation, with even Pat Spencer seeing minutes, they also needed Santos to show his usual dependability. Instead, his inability to control the ball or his physicality prevented him from having any sort of real impact on the game.
If Golden State is able to put together a deep playoff run, which looked like a real possibility after Game 1 of the series, they will need to be able to trust the end of their bench to come in and relieve their aging core in key moments.
While Santos' job is certainly not to be a primary ball-handler, the Rockets defense has made it clear that they will latch onto any perceived weakness in the Warriors' offense, making Santos' chaotic play an apparent liability.
In short, Santos has certainly earned his spot in the playoff rotation, but, if the rookie mistakes continue, the question is whether he can keep it.