The Golden State Warriors almost completed a remarkable comeback on Thursday night against the Philadelphia 76ers thanks in large part to point guard Pat Spencer whose solid play of late should give the franchise an obvious decision on his future.
Spencer has been a huge reason why the team has had any chance in their last two games, even though they have been undermanned going up against more talented opponents. On Tuesday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Spencer put up 17 points and hit a clutch fadeaway shot over Chet Holmgren to give the Warriors a momentary lead in the fourth quarter.
Warriors need to make Pat Spencer a full-time player after his recent play
In a slightly controversial move, head coach Steve Kerr benched Spencer in favor of Brandin Podziemski in the closing minutes of the game against the Thunder as the Warriors got steamrolled down the stretch.
On Thursday in Philadelphia, Kerr was faced with a similar choice and decided to leave Spencer in the game late as the Warriors tried to complete a comeback for the ages against the 76ers despite the absence of Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green.
Kerr was rewarded for his decision as Spencer hit a clutch three-pointer in the final 90 seconds as part of a 16-point effort in 24 minutes played. The Warriors still lost but the energy and solid play that Spencer provided gave the Warriors a winning hope.
Now, the Warriors have to convert Spencer's contract from a two-way to a standard one like they did last season. Under his current two-way contract, Spencer is limited in the number of games he can play with Golden State.
It may be a bit tricky with the way the roster is currently constructed, but they simply have to reward the way Spencer has been playing when given the opportunity. He's been too good to limit him right when he's getting hot.
Spencer has a chance to make his case over the next two games as the Warriors are going to be without Curry for the final two games of their road trip. Kerr should absolutely start Spencer at point guard the next two games, giving him a chance to really prove that he can consistently produce when given the chance.
Brandin Podziemski simply hasn't been consistent enough, meaning Spencer deserves this opportunity to build upon his two straight stellar performances and further push his case for a standard contract.