Disappearing act of fiery Warriors bench player is impossible to ignore
The Golden State Warriors are 2-0 on the young season after impressive victories over the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets. However, one bench player’s disappearing act has been impossible to ignore.
Pat Spencer earned himself a reputation last year as a fiery bench player who was not afraid to come into games and get dirty. He got ejected in the playoffs last year
Pat Spencer has found himself outside the Warriors rotation to start the season
Spencer did not do a ton for the Warriors last season, but he appeared in 39 games and averaged roughly six and a half minutes per game while shooting 40.6% on the year and averaging 2.5 points per game.
He is not a massive contributor by any stretch, yet the fact that he has been iced out so far this season and has not played a single minute doesn't bode well for his playing time going forward.
Really, it seems that he has clearly been eclipsed on the depth chart by rookie Will Richard. The rookie out of the University of Florida had a really strong preseason and has looked solid in his first two games of the regular season even if the numbers don't wholly show it yet. Richard even earned himself the game ball for his efforts in the regular season opener against Los Angeles, having scored his first NBA bucket.
Richard came into the NBA with a lot of experience in college which has clearly seemed to translate early on. Head coach Steve Kerr likened him to San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy because they both came into their respective leagues ready to play thanks to their extensive college experience.
Spencer is not the only Warrior player fans have grown accustomed to that has been left out in the cold to start the season. Third-year big Trayce Jackson-Davis has also not played at all
Jackson-Davis averaged over 15 minutes per game in each of his first two years, but by the end of last season it was clear that he was losing favor with head coach Steve Kerr and that's continued to start this campaign.
Maybe Spencer and Jackson-Davis will see more playing time on Friday night as the Warriors take on the Portland Trail Blazers in their first back-to-back of the season. Kerr seems likely to rest some of his star players more after a thrilling overtime win over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday, so he may utilize more of his bench as a result.
Lions Get Bad News on Next Opponent’s Star Player
The Detroit Lions are locked in a tight race for supremacy in the NFC North, and could be facing a big challenge in their coming game against a division rival.
The Lions are in their bye week this weekend, a time they will use to rest and hopefully recover from some of the injuries that have been mounting, especially on the defensive side of the ball. But this week will also give the rival Minnesota Vikings the chance to get their starting quarterback ready for the matchup against the Lions next week.
Lions Expected to Face J.J. McCarthy in Next Week’s Game
As The Athletic’s Alec Lewis reported, McCarthy is in position to return to his starting position next week against the Lions. McCarthy has missed the last five games with a high ankle sprain, but Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell told reporters on Friday that the second-year quarterback is making good progress toward his return.
“He got some work today and he will hopefully get some work throughout the early part of the week, which will lead him into a full week of preparation,” O’Connell said.
O’Connell added that McCarthy would spend the bye week getting back into rhythm and rebuilding a rapport with his wide receivers.
“For J.J., it’s going to be about the commitment that he’s made throughout his rehab of getting back to those concrete fundamentals and techniques that allow his feet and eyes to work together and find completions to any one of our five eligibles, whether it’s a receiver or T.J. (Hockenson) or even Aaron Jones or Jordan (Mason) or Zay (Zavier Scott) out of the backfield,” O’Connell said.
The Vikings struggled with veteran Carson Wentz under center. The ailing veteran completed 15-of-27 passes for 144 yards with one touchdown and one interception in a 37-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, playing through some obvious pain.
The Vikings put a lot of faith in McCarthy, allowing veteran Sam Darnold to leave in free agency after he led the team to a 14-3 record last year following a season-ending injury for McCarthy. The second-year quarterback showed some promise in his start to 2025, but the high-ankle injury has raised new concerns about whether he might be too injury-prone.
Lions Could Get Some Help on the Injury Front
While the Lions will have to face McCarthy next week, they will also have some help on the way as their own players recover from injuries. Jimmy Liao of USA Today’s Lions Wire reported that Detroit will have several players returning over the coming weeks, including safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph next week, with cornerback Terrion Arnold and running back Sione Vaki returning the next week.
They will have more returns in the weeks that follow, including cornerback DJ Reed, defensive lineman Marcus Davenport, and linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez.
While the returns will help bolster a Lions defense that has now faced two years of mounting injuries, the team could also look to bring in outside help. Some insiders predict the Lions will seek defensive help at the trade deadline, boosting depth in their secondary or defensive line.
