Gui Santos
Santos enters his fourth NBA season fighting for the Warriors' open second small forward/power forward starting spot, with camp and the first preseason game showing him currently on the second unit behind rookie Yaxel Lendeborg.
Role
At the first training camp scrimmage in Hawaii on October 1, 2026, Golden State split into a blue group of Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Yaxel Lendeborg, Draymond Green and Al Horford, which went on to start the preseason opener, while Santos was grouped with Brandon Williams, De'Anthony Melton, Gary Payton II and Georges Niang as part of what a Warriors-focused site described as the likely second unit. That outlet reported the rookie Lendeborg had 'the initial edge over last year's standout Gui Santos' for the starting frontcourt job. The San Francisco Chronicle's beat reporting (relayed October 2, 2026) had Santos ticketed for a bench role rather than starting in the preseason opener against the Clippers. In that exhibition game on October 4, 2026 in Honolulu, a 104-101 loss, Santos came off the bench and played about 17 minutes, scoring 9 points on 3-of-7 shooting (1-of-2 on threes) with 4 rebounds and 2 turnovers, per box score data. Coach Steve Kerr said after camp's early days that nothing is settled for the starting lineup and that he wants continued growth from Santos, calling him 'a focal point of our team, of our offense.'
Santos himself noted he showed growth late last season, and camp reporting credits him as a leader candidate for the second unit, with Kerr saying the staff is still looking for the best combinations and that no starting spot is locked beyond Curry and Green; if he outplays Lendeborg or the staff wants more shooting and secondary playmaking off the bench, his role could expand quickly once games start.
The early practice groupings and the Chronicle's report both point to Lendeborg, the rookie, getting the first crack at the starting forward spot that might otherwise have gone to Santos, and one exhibition game of modest bench production (9 points, 2 turnovers in about 17 minutes) is not evidence of a settled or expanded role.
Where analysts split
The specific disagreement in the reporting is not really a split in opinion but a timing one: a Warriors-focused preview site frames Santos as a likely second-unit leader with growth potential, while the camp scrimmage and the beat reporter's preseason-opener lineup report both show rookie Yaxel Lendeborg currently ahead of him for the starting frontcourt job, a situation Kerr has called unsettled rather than final.
Injury: DTD: assessed minor
Questionable with knee injury, game-time decision
Santos is questionable for Friday and may test the knee in pregame warmups before a final call, suggesting day-to-day status rather than a multi-game absence, but he's not a rotation lock in the first place given his role in camp groupings.
What would change this: Pregame warmup results and the Warriors' final decision on his status for Friday's game.
Research confidence: reported. Outlooks are grounded in web search over current reporting and refreshed through the season.
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