The Golden State Warriors made a smart move by extending Gui Santos recently on a three-year, $15 million deal. The Brazilian forward has been a really solid role-player for the team this season, and now the Warriors have an obvious next extension candidate.
Pat Spencer, whose NBA journey has been deeply tied to Santos, has been a revelation this season as well. He has endeared himself to fans with his chest-pounding and expletives as he's gone from a forgotten guy on the bench, to a certified hooper who has filled in quite nicely when Stephen Curry has been out with injury.
Spencer had his contract converted from a two-way to a standard contract, but now the Warriors should take things a step further by extending him on a deal similar to Santos.
Warriors need to extend Pat Spencer after Gui Santos deal
The former lacrosse star has improved in pretty much every single statistical category, and his attitude is something that the coaching staff and the fanbase loves. While he is a confident dude, he had no qualms in demonstrating just that during a game against the Philadelphia 76ers earlier in the season.
Spencer knows that absolutely nothing is going to be handed to him. He's had to earn every minute he has ever gotten in the NBA, and brings the exact kind of ethos that the Warriors are looking for.
Curry has been banged up a lot this season, and the 2x MVP will be 38 next season and 39 by the time the playoffs roll around. You can assume that he'll again miss some time due to injury, and probably won't be playing in to many back-to-backs for the rest of his career. That means the Warriors are going to need a solid backup point guard who can control the ball and do the little things right.
While they have Brandin Podziemski who is arguably a better shooter than Spencer, the Northwestern product is probably the better ball handler and facilitator. The Warriors need those skills when Curry is off the floor, either injured or resting, so bringing back Spencer is something the front office really need to do even if it may be tough.
Santos and Spencer are exactly what head coach Steve Kerr wants in two bench guys. They are selfless, willing to do whatever is necessary for the team, fight hard and bring energy to the floor. If the Warriors are going to keep one of them around, they might as well extend the other one as well.