Warriors injury troubles may force Kerr to look at unproven two-way contracted guard

The Golden State Warriors will need all hands on deck for their upcoming home back-to-back against the New Orleans Pelicans, with the team now facing injury troubles after entering the season fully healthy.

Not only is superstar guard Stephen Curry out for the back-to-back after sustaining an ankle injury on Sunday, but so too is De'Anthony Melton who is dealing with a back strain.

Pat Spencer could be a backup point guard option for the Warriors

Having each been inactive through the first three games of the season, the current injury report suggests the Warriors will suit up two-way contracted trio Quinten Post, Reece Beekman and Pat Spencer.

The latter in particular could be a genuine rotation option for Steve Kerr given the injuries to Curry and Melton which severely weakens Golden State's point guard options. Melton has actually seen 72% of his minutes as a point guard through the first three games, only furthering the void left by Curry's absence.

Second-year guard Brandin Podziemski is widely expected to take on more ball-handling and playmaking duties as Curry's replacement in the starting lineup, while veteran forwards Draymond Green and Kyle Anderson are also expected to fill some of the point guard duties.

But if Kerr wants to look at another genuine point guard option, Spencer is really the only other one who has some level of experience. The 28-year-old has been around the Warriors in their G League and Summer League programs for quite some time, albeit is completely unproven as an NBA player.

Spencer has played less than 26 total minutes across six NBA games, all of which came last season during garbage time. It's likely that Kerr will prefer to go the combination of Podziemski, Green and Anderson to cover the point guard duties, but Spencer will at least be available to throw out there if required.

Golden State's point guard depth was always seen as a potential issue entering the season. They lost future hall of famer Chris Paul during the offseason, and failed to really add a replacement outside Melton who has played the majority of his career as a two-guard.

There will now be significant pressure on Podziemski to perform as the starting point guard, with the 21-year-old having struggled through the opening three games where he's averaged 6.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists on 33.3% shooting from the floor and a paltry 7.1% from three-point range.