For a Warriors team already stretched thin on the wing, Gui Santos going down with an ankle sprain is more than just a blip on the injury report - it’s a real rotation puzzle for Steve Kerr to solve.
Santos rolled his ankle in last night’s matchup against the Knicks and has already been ruled out for tomorrow’s game against the Hornets. The good news?
The sprain isn’t considered serious. The bad news?
It’s enough to sideline him for at least one game, and likely more, with an update expected in the coming days.
Now, if you’re just scanning the box score, Santos’ numbers might not jump off the page - 3.7 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.0 assist per game. But that’s not where his value lies. What’s earned him Kerr’s trust - and consistent minutes - is his energy, his defensive grit, and the kind of hustle that doesn’t show up in the stat sheet but absolutely shows up in the film room.
Santos has carved out a role in a crowded and often unpredictable Warriors rotation, even leapfrogging Jonathan Kuminga in certain stretches - a move that’s raised some eyebrows given Kuminga’s pedigree and potential. But the numbers back it up.
According to Databallr, the Warriors are +8.7 points per 100 possessions in the 293 non-garbage-time minutes Santos has played this season. Even more telling?
The team’s defensive rating improves by nearly 7 points per 100 possessions when he’s on the floor. That’s not just impact - that’s influence.
In a season where the Warriors have struggled to find consistent two-way play from their wings, Santos has been a stabilizing presence. He doesn’t need plays run for him. He cuts hard, contests shots, boxes out, and makes the kind of connective plays that help winning basketball happen.
With Santos out, Kerr will have to dig deeper into the bench - or possibly lean heavier on players like Kuminga or Moses Moody, both of whom have had their moments but haven’t consistently locked down roles. It’s another wrinkle in a season that’s already been full of lineup experiments for Golden State.
For now, the hope is that Santos’ absence is short-term. But even a few games without him could be felt more than the casual fan might expect. In a rotation that’s still searching for answers, Santos had quietly become one of them.