Pat Spencer has been one of the more heart-warming stories for the Golden State Warriors this season, but the 29-year-old could soon find himself out of the rotation completely after another demotion on Monday night against the Utah Jazz.
Spencer had briefly been a starter in the wake of Stephen Curry's knee injury, yet lost that late last month in favor of Brandin Podziemski. That wasn't overly surprising given Podziemski's stature, but his demotion behind LJ Cryer in Monday's rotation should generate a little more shock.
Warriors turn to LJ Cryer over Pat Spencer in loss to Jazz
Instead of Spencer replacing Podziemski halfway through the first-quarter on Monday, it was Cryer whose 3-point shooting has evidently impressed Steve Kerr and the Golden State coaching staff since his first real opportunity against the Houston Rockets last week.
Cryer wound up playing nearly 17 minutes against the Jazz, proving one of the visitors' better players albeit he'd be disappointed with a couple of wide-open corner threes he'd usually drain. The two-way contracted guard finished with 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting and 3-of-8 from 3-point range, while also adding five rebounds, two assists and a steal in the 119-116 loss at Delta Center.
Cryer also finished as a team-high +8 in his minutes, having been a combined +5 in the previous two games against the Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder -- two of the better teams in the Western Conference.
Spencer, meanwhile, was limited to less than 13 minutes -- the least amount of playing time he's received since Curry exited with his knee injury against the Detroit Pistons way back on January 30. Spencer proved largely ineffective, failing to score a single point and missing all four of his field-goal attempts in the narrow loss.
Pat Spencer's time with the Warriors could be coming to an end
The 6'2" guard has scored in double figures just once in the past nine games, and is now shooting just 36.8% from the floor and 25% from 3-point range during that period. Combine that with not being a plus defender either, and it's becoming more difficult for Kerr to give him minutes despite Curry's ongoing absence.
It's not hyperbolic to suggest Spencer is playing for his NBA career right now. While he did have his two-way contract converted to a standard deal just prior to the All-Star break, the same thing happened last season and yet he found himself back on a two-way to start this campaign.
Given he's now in his third season, the Warriors may be hesitant to have Spencer back again on a two-way deal next season, especially if one spot comes down to he or Cryer when the latter has an elite skill that's worth persisting in.
Spencer could still see more opportunity this season depending on Curry's health, but the fact he's now seemingly behind Cryer is a situation he'd undoubtedly be disappointed with.