Steve Kerr reveals how Steph Curry’s return will impact Pat Spencer’s minutes originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Does Steph Curry’s impending return from injury signal the end of Pat Spencer Mania? Not quite, according to Warriors coach Steve Kerr.
During an interview on 95.7 The Game’s “Willard & Dibs” on Tuesday, Kerr explained that he actually envisions a rotation that could place Curry and Spencer on the floor together.
“I’m actually kind of looking forward to get getting them on the court together. That can be fun,” Kerr said.
Spencer has long been appreciated by Dub Nation for his contributions to Golden State, but the 29-year-old was thrust into the national spotlight after stepping up in a major way during the Warriors’ recent three-game road trip.
Spencer recorded double-figure scoring performances in all three games, while displaying a competitive fire that caught the eye of basketball fans across the NBA.
In Curry’s absence, Spencer has started the last two games for the Warriors — both impressive road wins over the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls, respectively.
Spencer averaged 15.5 points, 6.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds in those two starts, while shooting an impressive 13 of 22 from the field, including 3 of 4 from beyond the arc.
While Curry rightly regains his place in the starting lineup upon his return, Kerr insisted that Spencer isn’t going to lose all of his minutes and that the rotations will be heavily matchup dependent.
“Well, we’ll have to find out [what Spencer’s role is when Curry returns]. I mean, I’m not going to take away all of his minutes,” Kerr explained. “I can tell you that I’m definitely going to play him with Steph some, and we’ll see. Some of it will depend on matchups, how well we can hold up defensively, the three guys we put with [Spencer and Curry]. All of that has to be determined. 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. I mean, we’re winning, and he’s a huge part of that.”
While Spencer’s run isn’t quite on the level of a “Linsanity” yet, one of Golden State’s coaches compared the 29-year-old to former Warriors guard and New York Knicks star (for a moment in time) Jeremy Lin, who gained international fame for an incredible run in February 2012.
“Well, one of our coaches mentioned Jeremy Lin the other night [as a comp for Spencer],” Kerr said. “I couldn’t really think of any others, but, yeah, it’s not unprecedented, I’m sure, but it’s just a wonderful story. I mean, anytime you get a guy who has put in the work like Pat has and has the story, the journey that Pat has, I mean, you can’t help but pull for the guy.
“But it only really becomes a great story when the guy is legit. There are guys who are flashes in the pan, but Pat’s legit, you can see it out there. You can see the competitive desire, the fight, the intelligence, his ability to run, pick-and-roll. This guy’s a real player, and he’s finally getting his opportunity, and he’s making the most of it.”
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