As if the season couldn't get any worse for the tenth-place Golden State Warriors, promising young power forward Johnathan Kuminga is expected to miss at least three weeks with an ankle injury.
In the four games, the fourth-year breakout candidate has missed, the Warriors are a lowly 1-3, with their lone win coming against the Detroit Pistons, but the players on the end of their bench have stepped up when their number got called.
In his first non-garbage time minutes, rookie Quinetn Post played quite well on Friday, although it wasn't enough to get a win over the Indiana Pacers. Second-year forward Gui Santos has also played well with Kuminga out.
After leading Brazil to 13th place in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Santos signed with the Warriors last season and posted 3.6 points per game in around eight minutes per contest. This season, he has played sparingly, but over the last two games has averaged a solid 12 points, four rebounds, and three assists on excellent shooting numbers.
He was one of Brazil's best players in the 2024 Paris Olympics and was able to get the Brazilians into the knockout phase.
On Thursday against the Pistons, he tied his career-high with 13 points and made four of his six 3-point attempts.
While he and Post are likely not long-term fixtures in Golden State, it's refreshing to see the Dubs play with effort after their skid down the standings. Hopefully, Steve Kerr can use them as examples and the starters, once fully healthy, will be able to lead a charge into the postseason.
