The Golden State Warriors are learning a brutal lesson in the 2025-26 season: life without Stephen Curry is not just difficult — it’s a nightly puzzle that Steve Kerr can’t seem to solve.
The recent Stephen Curry injury has been one of the many blemishes on the Warriors’ 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. The results have been mixed at best, confusing at worst, and increasingly desperate as the losses pile up.
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. The former college lacrosse player turned basketball guard became a feel-good story, a testament to the Warriors’ developmental system and Spencer’s relentless work ethic.
Spencer was once again playing in Curry’s place in February, but recently, the Warriors have made a rotational change in the backcourt that has turned heads and raised eyebrows.
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.
THE PAT SPENCER STORY: FROM LACROSSE TO NBA ROTATION
Let’s rewind and appreciate what Pat Spencer accomplished before we discuss his potential demotion.
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 . For a player who was starring in college lacrosse just a few years ago, those numbers are nothing short of remarkable.
His journey from Loyola Maryland’s lacrosse field to the NBA hardwood has been well-documented. He was a four-year starter in lacrosse, winning the Tewaaraton Award as the nation’s top player in 2019 before using his final year of eligibility to play basketball at Northwestern . Since joining the Warriors’ organization, he’s worked his way from the G League to a two-way contract to a full-time NBA deal.
When Curry went down, Spencer stepped up. He wasn’t Steph — no one is — but he was competent, steady, and surprisingly effective for a player with his unconventional background.
But the NBA is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately league, and lately, Spencer’s production has dipped.
THE ROTATION SHAKEUP
Since the start of March, Spencer’s numbers have gone down, as Golden State has been playing Cryer in an elevated role. Cryer 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 .
O’Keefe’s analysis cuts to the heart of the matter:
“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.”
That’s the kind of minute distribution that tells you everything you need to know about where a player stands in the coaching staff’s eyes. When your playing time gets cut in half while a rookie takes your spot, the message is clear: they’re looking for something different.
WHO IS L.J. CRYER?
For those unfamiliar with the newest face in Golden State’s backcourt rotation, here’s the quick introduction.
L.J. Cryer signed a two-way contract with the Warriors shortly after going undrafted in the 2025 NBA Draft . The 6-foot-1 guard out of Houston spent five years in college, starting at Baylor before transferring to Houston for his final season .
At Houston, Cryer averaged 15.5 points per game while shooting 40.5% from three-point range. He was known as a microwave scorer off the bench, capable of getting hot quickly and putting up points in a hurry . That skill set — instant offense, three-point shooting, scoring aggression — is exactly what the Warriors need with Curry sidelined.
Spencer, for all his strengths, is more of a facilitator. He runs the offense, makes the right pass, plays within himself. Cryer is a scorer by nature. When you’re down your best scorer in NBA history, adding another bucket-getter to the rotation makes sense.
THE NUMBERS TELL THE STORY
All of Spencer’s stats have dropped since Cryer became a consistent piece in the rotation. His minutes are down. His shot attempts are down. His impact on the game has diminished to the point where Kerr felt comfortable giving his minutes to an undrafted rookie.
As time goes on, it looks like Spencer has a more uncertain future with the Warriors after he was a feel-good story earlier in the season. That’s the harsh reality of professional sports — sentimentality doesn’t win games, and Kerr is coaching for his job, for playoff positioning, for the chance to make noise in a crowded Western Conference.
THE CURRY INJURY: STILL NO TIMETABLE
All of this roster shuffling and rotation experimentation exists because of one unfortunate reality: Stephen Curry can’t play.
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.”
That’s the concerning part. This isn’t a one-time injury that heals cleanly. It’s a recurring issue that flared up, seemed to get better, and then flared up again. For a 38-year-old guard whose game is built on movement, conditioning, and quickness, any knee issue is cause for alarm.
THE PLAY-IN TOURNAMENT PRESSURE
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 . That strategy makes sense on paper — why risk your franchise player in meaningless March games when the real season starts in April?
But signs point to Curry 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 .
“Keep going. I know it’s tough, but promise you, I’m coming back,” the guard reportedly said.
That’s vintage Curry — the competitor, the leader, the guy who refuses to let his teammates down even when his body won’t cooperate. But wanting to come back and being ready to come back are two very different things.
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY WITHOUT CURRY
Let’s put the 5-9 record without Curry in proper context.
That’s a .357 winning percentage. Projected over a full season, that’s a 29-win pace. Without their best player, the Warriors aren’t just mediocre — they’re one of the worst teams in the league.
The offense grinds to a halt. The spacing that Curry creates simply doesn’t exist without him. Defenses can load up on drives, pack the paint, and challenge role players to beat them from outside. Some nights, they do. Most nights, they don’t.
The Warriors are 32-32 on the season, firmly in the play-in mix but with zero margin for error. Every game without Curry is a game they’re likely to lose, and every loss pushes them closer to the wrong side of the play-in line.
THE CRYER-SPENCER DEBATE: WHAT IT SAYS ABOUT KERR’S PRIORITIES
The decision to give Cryer Spencer’s minutes tells you something important about how Steve Kerr views this team’s needs.
Spencer is the safe choice. He runs the offense, doesn’t turn the ball over, plays within the system. He’s the kind of player Kerr has always valued — high IQ, low ego, team-first.
But safe isn’t working. The Warriors are losing games, and they’re losing them because they can’t score enough. In the Utah loss, Golden State managed just 104 points. In their recent losses to Philadelphia and Charlotte, they scored 102 and 101 respectively.
Cryer represents the opposite approach. He’s a gambler. He’s a scorer. He’s going to shoot when he’s open, attack when he sees a lane, and occasionally make mistakes that Spencer wouldn’t make. But he also might get hot and single-handedly keep the Warriors in games they have no business being in.
Kerr is desperate. When you’re desperate, you swing for the fences instead of playing small ball.
THE FAN REACTION
Warriors fans have strong opinions about the rotation changes:
“Pat Spencer gave us everything he had and I’ll always appreciate him. But Cryer might actually be able to create his own shot, which this team desperately needs”
“Kerr is just throwing stuff at the wall at this point. Cryer, Spencer, Podziemski, doesn’t matter who’s out there without Steph”
“People sleeping on L.J. Cryer. Dude can score. Give him the minutes and see what happens”
“Spencer’s minutes getting cut hurts but this team needs offense. Cryer provides that”
WHAT COMES NEXT
The next few days will be critical for the Warriors’ season.
Curry’s re-evaluation on Wednesday will provide some clarity, but “re-evaluation” in NBA terms often means “we’ll tell you he’s still not ready.” If Curry gets cleared, the rotation questions become moot — he slides back into his starting role, and everyone else moves down a peg.
If Curry remains out, the Cryer experiment will continue. And if Cryer produces, Spencer might find himself on the outside looking in for good.
THE VERDICT
The Stephen Curry injury has been the defining story of the Warriors’ 2025-26 season. It’s forced Steve Kerr to become an alchemist, trying to turn role players into stars and hoping something sticks.
Pat Spencer was the feel-good story of the early Curry absence. He earned his contract, played meaningful minutes, and proved that a former lacrosse player could hang in the NBA. But the league moves fast, and what worked in February isn’t working in March.
L.J. Cryer represents the next experiment. Undrafted rookie, microwave scorer, wild card. He might flame out. He might catch fire. Either way, Kerr has to try something different, because what they’re doing now isn’t working.
The Warriors are 32-32, stuck in neutral, waiting for their superstar to save them. And somewhere in the training room, Steph Curry is working, texting his teammates, promising he’s coming back.
The only question is whether he’ll be back in time to matter.