When a player gets injured, his teammates and the coach always have the same answer: « next guy has to step up ». It’s up to the “next player” to raise his level of play, and at Golden State, the numerous injuries or absences forced Steve Kerr last night to look for his “next guy” at the end of the bench.
In this case, at the end of the first quarter against the Pistons, the Warriors coach asked Gui Santos to take over from Dennis Schroder. A choice that more than pays off!
“He won a million duels tonight”says the coach. “That’s what wins matches. He waited all year, he finally got his chance and he took it. Ron Adams talks about it all the time. It’s a production league. You have your chance, you must take advantage of it. He was brilliant. This game is about more than making or failing a shot. It’s defense, rebounding, relentlessness. It’s sprinting. Everything Gui did tonight.”
The kind of player who is annoying for the opponent
Author of 13 points (4 of 6 shots), 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 interceptions, the Brazilian brought life and aggression to Golden State’s game. In the midst of a crisis, the Warriors need that, and when he came into play, Steve Kerr’s men were 0/6 at 3-points. Something had to click, and Stephen Curry thanks him!
“Just for the number of extra possessions he gave us”explains the leader. “It’s contagious for us, and it’s discouraging for the other team. Usually it happens to us, and it has the same impact as Josh Okogie. He’s everywhere, and at the end of the match, you’re exhausted against someone like that. That’s what he did tonight. The way he made his presence felt was impressive. 3-pointers are a bonus. »
-He was pawing impatiently
In an evening where Stephen Curry scored an awful 2 of 14 3-pointers, other solutions had to be found, and Draymond Green thanks Gui Santos for proving that there were other ways, notably those of playing hard and of commitment. “I always tell guys that you don’t get out of a hole by swinging 25 3-pointers,” lance Draymond Green. “We get out of the hole by doing little things. By playing hard. By collecting balloons lying around. And Gui Santos brought that to the match, he changed the match.”
Used to showing up in preseason and in the G-League, the Brazilian was simply biding his time. He would have liked to do it against the Heat or the Kings, but he waited until this meeting in Detroit. “When I watched the last two matches, I told myself that by coming into play, I was going to change the energy of the team,” concludes the hero of the evening. “I go out there and dive on the field. If I have to push someone on the other team, if I have to fight with someone, I will do it. But I’m going to change the energy on the field. And that’s what I had in mind before the match.”
