The Golden State Warriors acquired forward Malevy Leons from the Oklahoma City Thunder's G-League team, the Blue, earlier this season, and signed him to a two-way contract. The expectation was that Leons would remain in the G-League with the Santa Cruz Warriors as a potential piece for the Warriors to wield in future years, but with all of the injuries that have ravaged the Warriors recently, Leons' opportunity came to fruition on Wednesday evening.

Playing the second half of a back-to-back against the Memphis Grizzlies, only eight other players were healthy, meaning Leons was going to get some valuable run that he hadn't yet had the chance to experience in his young NBA career. Though he ended up being the only player to not score in double-figures in what ended up being a magnificent team win from the Warriors, Leons still had a fantastic outing that truly showed what he could bring to the Dubs moving forward.

Leons was signed by the Warriors back in December, but never spent much time with the main Warriors roster outside of a few games in January, instead tearing it up in the G-League for much of the past few months.

When he got his chance on Wednesday, he knew he couldn't squander it.

"I heard I was going to go in in the first, and I was just excited and ready to go. Those chances don't come around often, and I definitely was going to grab it."

Leons knows these opportunities are few and far between, and has made it his goal to make the most of them.

"Just sticking around to every opportunity that comes. I just got to be ready for it. Just enjoying the process. I'm in the locker room with great player who have done a lot of stuff. Enjoying it, and when the time comes, that's when it's time to hoop ... (Santa Cruz) play exactly the same, and coach Lainn (Wilson) makes sure that he teaches us how to play. He teaches us the right things, the right fundamentals that translate to the next level. They're really prepping us for that."

In 19 games with the Santa Cruz Warriors this season, Leons is averaging 14 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 1 block, showing off his excellent versatility. 

Leons was naturally the player to play the least amount of minutes in the win, but due to the injuries and the blowout nature of the game, he got a lot more run than he normally would and truly made the most of it.

In 18 minutes, Leons finished with 9 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and a block. Five of his 8 rebounds were on the offensive glass and he made a triple while shooting 3-5 from the field, including an emphatic dunk.

For a guy playing more than 10 minutes for the first time in his NBA career, it was a fantastic outing that proved he can handle NBA speed and contribute as an energy guy, a hustler, and on the defensive end, in particular.

Leons' chances to play might dwindle as guys like Draymond Green and Kristaps Porzingis return to the lineup, but there's no doubt that if more injuries flare up or if Steve Kerr feels like he needs to inject some energy and defense into the bench, Leons is ready to go.