The recent Stephen Curry injury has been one of the many blemishes on the Golden State Warriors’ 2025-26 campaign, and while the team has gone 5-9 without the franchise star, head coach Steve Kerr has used multiple roster and rotational combinations to try to replace the team leader.
When Curry sat out earlier in the season, it was Pat Spencer who took some of his minutes, starting on a number of occasions and eventually earning a full-time contract for the rest of the season. Spencer was once again playing in Curry’s place in February, but recently, the Warriors have made a rotational change in the backcourt.
In the team’s latest loss to the Utah Jazz, Kerr put in L.J. Cryer in the minutes Spencer was previously getting. According to Peter O’Keefe of BlueManHoop.com, it could be a sign that Spencer’s minutes and place in the rotation could be coming to an end.
Warriors Make Rotation Change While Curry Remains Out
Spencer was a consistent starter for the Warriors in February while Curry was dealing with his knee injury, playing a season-high 27.7 minutes per game while averaging 10.1 points and 5.4 assists on 45.4% shooting.
However, since the start of March, those numbers have gone down, as Golden State has been playing Cryer in an elevated role. He was out for a major stretch with a hamstring injury, but now looks to be a new rotational piece in place of Spencer. The rookie guard from Houston has played an average of 18 minutes while scoring 9.7 points in three games so far this month.
“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,” O’Keefe wrote.
“Cryer wound up playing nearly 17 minutes against the Jazz, proving one of the visitors’ better players…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.”
All of Spencer’s stats have dropped since Cryer became a consistent piece in the rotation, and as time goes on, it looks like he has a more uncertain future with the Warriors after he was a feel-good story earlier in the season.
Stephen Curry Injury Update
Curry has been out with what Golden State has described as ‘runner’s knee‘ since late January.
Subsequent injury updates have only pushed back any potential return date for the franchise star, and he’s officially been out for more than five weeks.
According to Warriors insider Anthony Slater, Curry is set to be re-evaluated on Wednesday, but with no guarantee he’ll get slotted back into the rotation.
“There’s no underlying structural issue that is of graver concern, but this is something he’s been dealing with for over a month now. It originally popped up in Minnesota during a workout the day that game (vs. Timberwolves) got postponed,” Slater reported back in February. “He played through it a little bit…And then it started to bother him again.”
Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints had previously reported that Golden State could keep Curry out for an even longer period in hopes of having him healthy for the Play-In Tournament, but signs point to the star wanting to return as soon as he’s able.
In a message shared on X by Slater, he reported that Curry texted teammate Draymond Green that he hopes to make an injury return soon.
Here is Draymond on his recent conversations with Curry, who he said texted him today: “Keep going. I know it’s tough, but promise you, I’m coming back.”
“Keep going. I know it’s tough, but promise you, I’m coming back,” the guard reportedly said.
As of now, Curry has no timeline for a return with the knee injury that has kept him out for 14 consecutive games.
Warriors Make Brutal Pat Spencer Decision Amid Steph Curry Injury