After being listed as questionable with a pelvic contusion, Gui Santos has been ruled out for Thursday’s game against the Lakers at Chase Center.
That means Golden State has eight players ruled out, including Stephen Curry (knee injury management), Kristaps Porzingis (illness management; knee), Al Horford (calf), Will Richard (back) and Quinten Post (foot).
The Lakers will be without Luka Doncic (hamstring), Austin Reaves (oblique), Jaxson Hayes (foot) and Marcus Smart (ankle), but they will have LeBron James active, which should give them a sizable advantage.
Santos’ Absence Leaves Huge Forward Void
Since Jimmy Butler’s season-ending ACL tear, Santos has been averaging 29.8 minutes per game, all coming at the small forward and power forward spots.
Without Santos, Butler and Moses Moody, the Warriors will have to get creative to fill the minutes at the 3 and 4.
Having Charles Bassey at center should allow Draymond Green to play some of his minutes at power forward. Here is a minutes breakdown that the Warriors could use Thursday:
Small Forward Minutes
Brandin Podziemski/Gary Payton II: 30
Nate Williams: 18
Power Forward Minutes
Draymond Green: 20
Malevy Leons: 28
Center Minutes
Charles Bassey: 32
Draymond Green: 16
Note that Podz and Payton aren’t traditional small forwards, but they’ll have to guard 3s on Thusday.
As you can see, this breakdown suggests Leons and Bassey are going to play a ton against the Lakers.
It’s an incredible opportunity for both, particularly Bassey, who is not under contract for next season and is essentially audtioning for every NBA team with his minutes.
Bassey shined on Tuesday against the Kings, recording 14 points, 12 rebounds, two steals and two blocks.
With all this said, the Warriors simply don’t have the frontcourt talent to match up against the Lakers. James will likely have a big game, and you can expect Deandre Ayton and Rui Hachimura to also treat Leons and Bassey as food.
