Warriors sign lacrosse star to two-way contract

Golden State signed Pat Spencer to the two-way slot vacated by Lester Quinones

The Golden State Warriors had a vacant two-way contract after converting Lester Quiñones’ contract to a standard deal. They wasted no time in rewarding Santa Cruz Warrior and former college lacrosse superstar Pat Spencer with his own two-way deal.

Spencer was a surprise revelation at Summer League in 2022, earning himself an Exhibit 10 deal and a training camp invitation. He had a unique background, playing just a single, graduate year of college basketball at Northwestern after a standout lacrosse career Loyola University in Maryland.

“Standout” may be an understatement. Spencer was a four-time All-American and set the career record for assists, while ending up second all-time in goals scored. He won the Tewaaraton Award in 2019, the lacrosse equivalent of the Heisman Trophy, and was the No. 1 overall pick in that year’s Premier Lacrosse League draft. But he chose to play basketball instead, a decision that paid off when he signed with the Capital City Go-Gos, the G League franchise of the Washington Wizards.

There were rumors that the Warriors considered him for a two-way deal last season, before concerns about veteran depth led them to go with Ty Jerome and Anthony Lamb. Still, they kept him at Santa Cruz, where he played in just four games before a fractured wrist ended his season.

This year, Spencer showed huge improvement. He upped his scoring average to 15.3 points per game while making 43% of his three-pointers and nearly 50% of his shots from the field. While it’s extremely rare to see an NBA player who took a four-year hiatus from basketball in college, Spencer is a fantastic athlete. You can see how his lacrosse ability could translate to basketball, as Spencer is already the master of the no-look pass.

Spencer’s passing was so impressive that it even earned college lacrosse a rare segment on SportsCenter in 2019.

In fact, Spencer made SportsCenter twice in his senior season, the second time after breaking the assist record.

It’s still a longshot that a 27-year-old rookie is going to make a big impact at the NBA level, but for your final two-way spot, why not get a player who is cool as hell? He’s improving dramatically, he has great balance, and he’s not intimidated by NBA contact. Spencer’s basketball IQ is much higher than you’d expect for a guy who didn’t play organized basketball for four years. Plus, he does sick dunks.

His improved three-point shooting also appears to be real, as Spencer has upped his accuracy and volume this season. Spencer might mainly play in garbage time this season, but if he’s dunking and drilling threes, there’s a chance for him to stick around next year as well. Last year they had Donte DiVincenzo, the Michael Jordan of Delaware. Now they’re adding the Michael Jordan of lacrosse.

Plus, the Warriors just became the lacrosse community’s favorite NBA team. They’re going to be light years ahead on the lacrosse field, too.