Steve Kerr may be forced to give the young forward more minutes amid Warriors games

The Golden State Warriors continue to fight. With Jonathan Kuminga out and Draymond Green having missed the last two games, Steve Kerr has looked elsewhere for size and toughness.

Although he didn’t have his best game in Toronto, Gui Santos has shown over the last few games that Kerr may not be able to bench him for much longer. Santos’ stats speak for themselves and prove he may be playing himself up on the Warriors’ depth chart.

On Monday night, the Warriors fell to the lowly Toronto Raptors 104-101, with the visitors unable to handle the size and crowding of the home team. Stephen Curry did his best to carry the Dubs, but without Green in the lineup, the Warriors were unable to keep the Raptors out of the paint. Being the smallest team in the league is starting to show as Golden State was outscored 50-26.

Gui Santos may need to become a regular in the Warriors rotation

The Santos stats don’t necessarily jump off the page, with the Brazilian forward only getting limited opportunities in his two-year NBA career. That being said, he begins to make the most of them. He is averaging just 2.3 points, 1.5 rebounds and 0.9 assists this season on 48.8% from the field and 36.8% from three. Keep in mind that all this is while averaging 8.3 minutes per game.

There have been a few times this season that Santos has had the opportunity to show his skills. When Santos plays 10 minutes or more, he is +7 overall and averages 6.5 points and 3.3 rebounds. Those numbers still aren’t sexy, but the jump shows that with more options comes more production. The Warriors can always use size and shooting, which are elements that Santos can bring

Besides the raw numbers, Santos is becoming crucial for the Warriors because of the energy he brings. With the Warriors hanging on the wrong side of .500, they desperately need the kind of energy and life Santos brings, especially in a crucial performance against the Detroit Pistons on Thursday. The offensive rebounds, the sprint up and down the floor, the underdog mentality. These are all things the Warriors must embrace as they continue to try to find an identity.

Santos’ energy, size (on an incredibly undersized Warriors roster) and shooting stroke make him increasingly playable. If other Warriors bench players aren’t able to bring a similar energy and skill set, Kerr will really have to consider making Santos part of the regular rotation.