Even with all the swirling rumors and general strife surrounding the Golden State Warriors, there have still been some positive things to take away from their recent handful of games. Though they're just 2-4 since Jimmy Butler went down with an ACL tear on January 19th, certain players on the team have shown they're ready for an increased role and stepped into the added minutes and/or responsibilities seamlessly.

One such player is Gui Santos. The Brazilian forward has been part of the end of the Warriors' bench for the past few years, but has seen his minutes climb as this season went on. With Butler and Jonathan Kuminga both out recently, Steve Kerr has had to turn to Santos for some size at the forward position, and he has delivered.

In the past three games, Santos is averaging 14.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists on 24.3 minutes a game while shooting over 62% from the field and nearly 42% from three. It's a small sample size, of course, but those numbers blow his career and season averages out of the water by a mile.

Though Santos did start the Warriors' game on Monday when they were shorthanded against the Minnesota Timberwolves, he's otherwise been making his impact by coming off the bench.

After the Pistons game on Friday, Santos talked about what he focuses on when he subs into the game and how he tries to impact winning.

“For me, it’s just the energy. Sometimes, I’m not going to score a lot of points, sometimes like today, I don't think I got a lot of rebounds. But I was there for all the rebounds trying to help because I see how hard Draymond (Green) was fighting because they got strong dudes under the rim. Draymond was fighting with everybody, I was just there to try to help him (and) don't let them get the rebounds. I think it’s just like mind to go there, to get ready, to play with energy. Sometimes the game’s going to give me more opportunities to score, sometimes Steph’s (Curry) going to be really hot in the game, you just got to find him. So, it depends which game. But I’m always going to bring the energy, the effort, the hustle, because I think that’s what puts me in a good position to help the team better.”

Hustle and the overall "intangibles" of the game have always been Santos' calling card in his time in the league. His overall talent has improved in his three years, but it's his clear and obvious hustle and grit that pop every time he touches the floor.

It's not just a vibe that Santos gives off that makes you believe in how much he impacts the team. The stats back it up, too.

Santos' net rating might be the most eye-popping one, even more so than his recent stretch of quality box scores. On the season, Santos owns an on-off net rating of +1.8 — a surprisingly high number considering that at the beginning of the season, most of his minutes came in garbage time, which typically tends to even out to net-zero minutes.

Most importantly, the defensive aspect of his net rating shows just how valuable he is. When Santos is off the court, the Warriors' defensive rating is still 114, 1.9 points better than their overall team average. But when Santos is on the court, their defensive rating improves to 107.3, making for an astounding -6.7 on-off swing.

Santos has clearly earned himself for minutes moving forward, no matter what ends up happening on the trade market. The young Brazilian has carved out a role based on effort and energy that will always be appreciated by any team.