Steve Kerr, Pat Spencer, Steph Curry injury update, return date, Golden State Warriors trade, injury news
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Pat Spencer #61 of the Golden State Warriors celebrates after scoring during the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena on December 06, 2025 in Cleveland, Ohio.
TheGolden State Warriors have by no means had a perfect, or even good, start to the season,as it’s been marked by star player injuries, poor team statistics on bothsides of the floor, and major trade rumors surrounding Jonathan Kuminga.
But in the midst of all that, Pat Spencer has risen and slowly found himself in a big role on this Warriors team while Steph Curry has been out with a quad injury. Spencer has elevated his game with Curry’s absence, and despite rumors of the star player nearing a return, the former lacrosse player turned NBA guard expects his role to be the same once the Warriors are healthy.
According to Nick Friedell of The Athletic, Golden State head coach Steve Kerr has no plans of limiting Spencer’s minutes or responsibilities once Curry returns from injury.
“That [expletive] is really good,” Kerr said of Spencer. “Sorry, I can’t resist…He’ll be in the rotation for sure.”
Kerr’s comments echoed similar statements he made a few days ago. That, along with the news that Curry could play in the team’s next game, bodes well for a Warriors team that has struggled to stay afloat in the Western Conference.
“Whether that means I’m in for 20 minutes, I’m in for 10 minutes, I’m out, we just want to win,” Spencer said of his playing time once the team gets healthy. “I feel like I’ve done enough to hopefully be in that rotation, but I’m gonna trust the coaching staff to put us in a position to win.”
Steve Kerr on Pat Spencer
Spencer previously held a small role in Golden State up until very recently. Now in his third season, the 29-year-old played sparingly over the last two years, with a combined 45 total appearances from 2023 to 2025. But now, after his first two career starts, Spencer has scored double-digit points in all but one game without Curry.
Inthe month of December alone, Spencer is averaging 16 points, 5.8 assists, andfour rebounds,on 59.1/75/100shooting splits, not bad for the former college lacrosse superstar.
“I think it’s the shooting,” Kerr said about what Spencer changed this year compared to years prior. “The threat from 3-point range. Now the whole floor is spread, whereas last year he did not trust his 3-point shot. Everything was a midrange pull-up, and while he is a good midrange shooter, he needs to be a threat from 3 to open up the floor, which opens up the whole game.”
While the Warriors are taking more open threes than any other team in the league, Spencer is helping turn those open shots into actual points. Golden State is 3-2 with Curry out, and while that hasn’t contributedin any major part to their 13-12 record on the year, finding a spot for Spencer in the rotation is a major plus.
“I can tell you that I’m definitely going to play him with Steph some, and we’ll see,” Kerr previously said on Spencer’s minutes when Curry returns. “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.”
Steph Curry Injury Update, New Return Date
The rise of Spencer has arrived with Curry out, but as mentioned, the two could find themselves in the Warriors’ backcourt sooner than expected. While the franchise star has missed the last five games with a quad injury, the latest update from Kerr signals a return coming soon.
“Day to day. But it’s looking good,” Kerr said, per Friedell about Curry’s return from injury. “He needs to stack together a few days before we put him out there, so, we’ll see how he comes off of today’s workout.”
The league’s all-time three-point leader did practice with the team on Wednesday, according to Danny Emerman of the San Francisco Standard.
“Steve Kerr said it’s ‘looking good’ for Steph Curry to return on Friday after missing past 5 games with left quad contusion/strain,” he wrote in a post on X. “Curry was a full participant in practice today, including scrimmaging.”
Danny Emerman
Steve Kerr said it’s “looking good” for Steph Curry to return on Friday after missing past 5 games with left quad contusion/strain.
Curry was a full participant in practice today, including scrimmaging.
Al Horford will miss Friday’s game.
As of now, Curry is expected to return to action on Saturday against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Al Horford is out, and Draymond Green’s status is still unknown, but at least the possibility of getting Curry back to pair with Spencer couldbe a cause for intrigue against a top Western Conference foe.