Pat Spencer has only played more than 12 minutes in three consecutive games once during his NBA career, but he's now about to get a second opportunity after the Golden State Warriors announced Stephen Curry's injury update on Thursday.
The 2x MVP will miss at least three games with a quad injury, having limped around the court and then back to the locker room in the final minutes of Golden State's 104-100 loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night.
Pat Spencer will now see a legitimate role in the Warriors rotation
Whether rightly or wrongly, the Warriors have gone into this season with a complete lack of point guard depth. Perhaps they thought the playmaking from veterans Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green would be enough, or that Brandin Podziemski would take a leap as a primary ball-handler early in his third season.
Either way, Golden State don't really have another legitimate point guard available to them in Curry's absence outside of Spencer. This opportunity was always going to subsequently come about at various points this season, with the understanding and history that Curry would miss time at some point during the campaign.
It's therefore bizarre and perhaps simply poor management that Spencer is essentially the backup point guard despite the face he literally wasn't signed to another two-way deal until media day last month.
Spencer did impress in the last game Curry missed in Miami last week, finishing as perhaps Golden State's biggest positive with 11 points, eight rebounds, 13 assists and as a +10 in what was a 110-96 defeat.
The 29-year-old may not get the same 32 minutes of playing time given Butler and Green were also rested from that game, but he should see a consistent and regular role in the rotation while Curry remains on the sidelines.
As much as there will be obvious disappointment within the team surrounding Curry's injury, there will undoubtedly be part of Spencer that is looking forward to the opportunity of a genuine role over the next few games.
That's only natural for someone who's still looking to solidify themselves in the league and on the team, with a two-way contract being a precarious place for any player to be in as they search for solid footing.
Spencer will be aware that he must take advantage of whatever playing time he does get, particularly with so much current uncertainty around the Warrior rotation even when Curry is available.