The Golden State Warriors have seemingly found a spark plug in backup point guard Pat Spencer. The 29-year-old has helped fuel the team to some solid performances without Stephen Curry, and head coach Steve Kerr has made it clear that Spencer will remain in the rotation even when the 2x MVP returns from injury.
The Warriors are hopeful Curry will be back in time for Friday's meeting with the Minnesota Timberwolves, having now missed five-straight games with a quad injury.
Warriors will keep playing Pat Spencer when Stephen Curry returns
Kerr appeared on 95.7 The Game and had the following to say about Spencer’s role when Curry returns:
“I can tell you that I’m definitely going to play him (Pat) with Steph some and we’ll see. Some of it will depend on matchups… But the way Pat is playing, the way he’s impacting winning, the way he’s impacting the competitive spirit of the team. I have to keep playing him. We’re winning, and he’s a huge part of that.”
For Spencer’s part, he has said all the right things about how he could potentially be used after the return of Curry. Spencer said the following to 95.7 The Game:
“(Kerr) doesn't owe me a conversation... We may address it, we may not, but ultimately my whole career has been built off of staying ready."
That sort of attitude is exactly what has made fans fall in love with Spencer. He is a guy who was basically an afterthought on the roster at the beginning of the year, yet has proven that he can absolutely ball out when given the opportunity.
All season when he has been given chances, Spencer has shown consistently that does the little things right, something some of the younger players on the team, namely Brandin Podziemski and Jonathan Kuminga, have struggled with at times.
Spencer showed what he can do offensively as well over the past week, producing great performances that almost led to two improbable comebacks against the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Philadelphia 76ers.
The team came up short in both of those games, but his solid play continued in two winning efforts against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls. Kerr used him to great effect when Jimmy Butler was on the floor, so it seems he's now going to be open to experimenting with how Curry and Spencer will interact together.
It will be interesting to see how Spencer and Curry do look on the floor. Perhaps it could work because Curry is so unique point guard in this ability to play off the ball, with that movement creating so many scoring opportunities for himself and others.
Spencer has shown he knows how to get the ball to the right player at the right time, so having them both out there can work if Spencer can consistently find Curry and others.
The fact that Kerr is willing to give Spencer playing time when Curry returns speaks volumes about how the coach's willingness to reward his players. It would be a little disappointing if Spencer played as well as he has, only for Curry to return and be offered nothing more than a pat, no pun intended, on the head on his way back to the bench.
We will see if Spencer continues to take advantage of his playing time even after Curry returns, but Kerr rewarding him shows he's willing to go with the hot hand, especially when that hand belongs to a feisty, energetic player who isn't afraid mix it up with rivals stars and crowds.