The Golden State Warriors have spent much of this season searching for answers around the edges of their roster. In recent weeks, one of the more encouraging ones has come from an unlikely place: the end of their bench

Gui Santos has been given an opportunity with all of the injuries that have befallen Golden State and he has done nothing but make the most of it. 

The 23-year-old forward from Brazil entered the Warriors’ starting lineup following Jimmy Butler’s season-ending torn ACL and is beginning to look far more comfortable in an expanded role. Santos briefly lost that starting spot to Moses Moody, but with Moody now sidelined for the year as well, the door has reopened and Santos has not hesitated to step through it.

That should matter for a Golden State team that is still trying to squeeze something meaningful out of this season. The Warriors are 35–38 and sit 10th in the Western Conference, though their play-in position is secure. They lead the 11th-place New Orleans Pelicans by 11.5 games with only nine games remaining on the regular season schedule. There is still meaningful basketball left for Golden State to play and Santos has been one of the bright spots in what has otherwise been a frustrating campaign.

Now in his third NBA season, Santos is repaying the Warriors for taking a chance on him with the 55th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. He made his debut the following season, but was only able to play extended minutes earlier this year and is playing the best basketball of his career following the All-Star break.

Before the February intermission, Santos was averaging 5.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 14.7 minutes per game. Since then, those numbers have jumped to 15.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.1 assists 32.1 minutes a night. His usage has risen sharply, and so has his confidence. He has naturally had a drop-off in terms of efficiency, yet his overall growth has been obvious. Among Warriors players, he is third in terms of net rating since the All-Star break, a strong sign that his impact has gone beyond counting stats.

His last two games have made his breakout run even louder.

Two games ago, Santos scored a career-high 31 points in a 109–106 win over the Brooklyn Nets. He knocked down four three-pointers and added three rebounds, an assist, two steals, and a block. He followed that performance with 27 points, three more threes, four rebounds, and four assists in a 131–126 win over the Washington Wizards. Those are the two highest-scoring games of his season, and they came at a time when Golden State badly needed someone to step forward.

Santos’ rise does not solve everything for the Warriors. None of it will mean much if Stephen Curry cannot return from the knee injury that has sidelined him since January. If Curry does make it back, however, Golden State could still make things interesting in the play-in and perhaps beyond if luck is on their side.

Either way, Santos has proven that he belongs, showing that he is a viable NBA rotation player. With his energy, size, off-ball movement, and workable shooting, he fits the kind of role that always has value on a playoff team. Golden State has a keeper in Santos who is making it clear that he belongs.