The Golden State Warriors suffered yet another offensive meltdown Monday night against the L.A Clippers, turning a 17-point lead into a 13-point loss — a familiar, almost weekly occurrence at this point.
But amid the chaos, one encouraging trend has continued to emerge as the season has gone on: Golden State has gotten immediate, better-than-expected production from its two-way players.
It started with Pat Spencer, whose performances earned him a standard NBA contract, and more recently with Malevy Leons and Nate Williams stepping up in a bigger spotlight.
Warriors have a growing trend of hitting on their two-way players
Those opportunities have largely come from necessity, as the Warriors have been hit hard by injuries throughout the season. Golden State first called up Spencer to fill in while De’Anthony Melton worked his way back from an ACL tear, but the 29-year-old quickly made himself impossible to ignore, carving out a role in the rotation.
Spencer has been a big reason Golden State has stayed afloat despite the rash of injuries. On December 6, Spencer carried a depleted Warriors group past a healthier Cavaliers team, leading the way with 19 points and seven assists.
As a two-way player, Spencer has averaged 5.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists while shooting 42.3% from the field and 43.1% from three in 14.4 minutes per game. But he’s looked different when he’s started. In five starts, he's averaged 14.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.4 steals on 49.1% shooting in 30.2 minutes.
Anecdotally, in his 50th and final game as a two-way player, Spencer delivered the best performance of his career. He propelled a Curry-less Warriors team past the Suns, scoring a career-high 20 points, grabbing six rebounds and dishing out four assists while drilling six threes.
Those wins over Cleveland and Phoenix could end up mattering more than they seemed at the time, as the Warriors are only 1.5 games ahead of the Clippers for the No. 8 seed — a spot that comes with two chances to punch a playoff ticket.
Malevy Leons, whom the Warriors signed to a two-way deal on Dec. 8, 2025, made the most of his NBA chance last week in Memphis. Despite being the only available Warrior who didn’t score in double figures — something he would’ve done had he made just one of his two free throws in the fourth — the 6-foot-9 forward stuffed the box score with nine points, eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block, while flashing real potential as a defender and rebounder. Since then, he’s been stuck in garbage time over the last two games, with little opportunity to show more.
Nate Williams makes an early statement with the Warriors
As injuries have continued to shred the Warriors’ guard depth — with Steph Curry, Will Richard and Gary Payton II all out — Golden State called on Nate Williams, and he promptly answered. The 6-foot-5 swingman has shown early promise with the Santa Cruz Warriors, whom he joined on February 17 after signing a two-way contract with the franchise. In three games with the Sea Dubs, he’s averaged 21.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists while shooting 60.9% from the field and 53.5% from deep.
Williams put on his Warriors uniform for the first time on Saturday in Los Angeles, posting seven points, one rebound and two assists in 15 minutes while finishing +1 in a 28-point loss.
But it was Monday that he truly made a statement. The Warriors were once again a +1 with Williams on the court, as he poured in 18 points, two rebounds, two assists and a steal. His defensive intensity, along with his ability to knock down shots, has made an immediate impact.
Yes, it’s a very small sample size, but Golden State has been better with Williams on the floor over the last two games, as he owns the second-best net rating on the team over that span (+4.4).
An interesting note: Nate Williams arguably brought the most energy off the bench against the Clippers despite playing four games in four nights between the Warriors and the SeaDubs — and he might’ve delivered the quote of the year when asked about the challenge of guarding Kawhi Leonard:
“He’s a great player, but he bleeds just like I bleed. I don’t fear no challenge. I fear God. That’s the only man I fear," Williams said.
In an otherwise up-and-down season, one thing the Warriors have undeniably done consistently is develop — and hit on — players in the G League. It’s no fluke that three of them have emerged as potential rotation pieces at the NBA level — tip of the hat to the organization for that.