Pat Spencer

[salukicat]

Is on the Golden State Warriors pre season roster with chance to make the team and has a big fan in Steve Kerr, per NBC article,

"Of all the new names showing up on a daily basis at Chase Center, Spencer easily is the biggest wild card -- for a number of reasons. After a dominant four-year lacrosse career at Loyola and winning what amounts to college lacrosse's Heisman Trophy as a junior, Spencer used his college graduate eligibility year to play basketball at Northwestern. In his lone season of college basketball, Spencer averaged 10.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists.

Golden State holds the 26-year-old's G League rights, and Kerr loves what he has seen from him.

"Big fan of Pat's," Kerr said. "Great competitor, great athleticism in terms of his balance and his coordination and his core strength. He jumps with more explosiveness than I realized. He had the play in Tokyo where he tried to dunk on the whole team and got fouled.

"I love that he's a lacrosse guy. I think sports like soccer and hockey and lacrosse kind of establish vision that you need in basketball where you have to see the field in front of you or the court in front of you and see everything positioning-wise. I think all of those things are helpful for Pat.

"He needs to play. He just doesn't have a ton of basketball experience. He's a really intriguing prospect."

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

Is on the Golden State Warriors pre season roster with chance to make the team and has a big fan in Steve Kerr, per NBC article,

"Of all the new names showing up on a daily basis at Chase Center, Spencer easily is the biggest wild card -- for a number of reasons. After a dominant four-year lacrosse career at Loyola and winning what amounts to college lacrosse's Heisman Trophy as a junior, Spencer used his college graduate eligibility year to play basketball at Northwestern. In his lone season of college basketball, Spencer averaged 10.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists.

Golden State holds the 26-year-old's G League rights, and Kerr loves what he has seen from him.

"Big fan of Pat's," Kerr said. "Great competitor, great athleticism in terms of his balance and his coordination and his core strength. He jumps with more explosiveness than I realized. He had the play in Tokyo where he tried to dunk on the whole team and got fouled.

"I love that he's a lacrosse guy. I think sports like soccer and hockey and lacrosse kind of establish vision that you need in basketball where you have to see the field in front of you or the court in front of you and see everything positioning-wise. I think all of those things are helpful for Pat.

"He needs to play. He just doesn't have a ton of basketball experience. He's a really intriguing prospect."

That is just phenomenal, whether Pat Spencer makes it in the NBA or not.

 

[Secho99]

That is just phenomenal, whether Pat Spencer makes it in the NBA or not.

Pat had 11 pts, 5 rebs and 3 assists in 21 mins in a preseason game last night. It’s clear he has some game but making the Warriors opening 15-man roster will be tough given the depth they have. Hopefully he has a nice year developing further in the G League where he can get big minutes.

 

[GatoLouco]

 

[TheC]

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Just saw this and also came to share it. Very cool stuff! Way to go Pat!! If he makes the NBA, it will continue the tradition of NU Wildcats in the NBA whom you never would have imagined!

 

[SmellyCat]

There's something to be said for guys who are just phenomenal athletes. I mean, there is no reason to think this guy had ANY shot at the NBA a few years ago, even as we loved him on our team, yet here he is, on the doorstep of making what is by most accounts a very good NBA team. Amazing.

 

[CatManTrue]

There's something to be said for guys who are just phenomenal athletes. I mean, there is no reason to think this guy had ANY shot at the NBA a few years ago, even as we loved him on our team, yet here he is, on the doorstep of making what is by most accounts a very good NBA team. Amazing.

His performance with us that season was definitely a highlight. Happy to see he’s still pursuing his dream.

 

[clarificationcat]

His performance with us that season was definitely a highlight. Happy to see he’s still pursuing his dream.

I am shocked and amazed he is where he is. In his first few games in college, Buie was hurt and Spencer sometimes struggled bringing the ball up the court against quicker players. He's obviously a great athlete but I didn't think he was quick enough for elite college basketball. And his outside shot was poor, which really limited his effectiveness that season. It was incredible that he was playing major minutes, though, after having not played competitively since high school.

But you don't become the best player in any college sport without exceptional determination and mental toughness. He has adjusted to the speed of the game, shaken off all of that rust and, I assume, improved his outside shot. Really impressive.

 

[SmellyCat]

But you don't become the best player in any college sport without exceptional determination and mental toughness.

Right...I mentioned he was a phenomenal athlete, but he might be even better at these qualities. I believe he said that even as he was playing lacrosse at a world-class level that basketball was still his favorite sport. Glad he's making his dream come true.

 

[TheC]

Unfortunately, Spencer was waived by Golden State. Not sure if he'll join their G League team, but that seems most likely.

 

[clarificationcat]

Unfortunately, Spencer was waived by Golden State. Not sure if he'll join their G League team, but that seems most likely.

That's too bad. Maybe they can't afford him after paying everybody else on the team. Jordan Poole just signed a 4-year contract for about $125 million. Who on this board predicted that one when he was at Michigan?

If he wanted it, I could see him being able to play in one of the European leagues. Great players but the level of athleticism is a notch below the NBA overall. He's not a big guy and he's not super quick, so that might be a better fit.

 

[CatManTrue]

Unfortunately, Spencer was waived by Golden State. Not sure if he'll join their G League team, but that seems most likely.

That’s the best move for him. He would have rarely seen the court if at all as the 15th man on the Warriors.

If he can get a G League spot with them (or anyone), then he should jump at the opportunity.

 

[GatoLouco]

That's too bad. Maybe they can't afford him after paying everybody else on the team. Jordan Poole just signed a 4-year contract for about $125 million. Who on this board predicted that one when he was at Michigan?

If he wanted it, I could see him being able to play in one of the European leagues. Great players but the level of athleticism is a notch below the NBA overall. He's not a big guy and he's not super quick, so that might be a better fit.

He went to Germany, mid season, a couple seasons ago. Big mistake going to the German league IMO. So many kids do this, take the offer that pays the most and burn their longer term prospects.

Going the overseas route is a different animal altogether. Even much higher prospects than Pat need to avoid the major leagues: Spain, Greece, Italy, France, Germany, Russia, even others like Lithuania, Israel, etc. The leagues are stuffed with grown ass men that have played professionally for several years. And the teams expect you to stuff the stat sheet. Averaging less than double digits will kill you. You can't be a role player as you are taking a spot amongst the limited "foreign" spots in the roster.

Then there's the cultural adaptation and your own fit into being happy with the lifestyle of being away from home, language barriers, etc.

It's pretty amazing to go through the bios of the successful players in different European leagues. The overwhelming majority of them don't come from P6 programs. You'd expect they did, but they do not. I attribute this to cultural fit being more important than raw initial talent. You need it to stick around, develop your game as you change from a young stud to a grown ass man. If you don't have the cultural fit, you end up not doing the time and develop.

 

[clarificationcat]

He went to Germany, mid season, a couple seasons ago. Big mistake going to the German league IMO. So many kids do this, take the offer that pays the most and burn their longer term prospects.

Going the overseas route is a different animal altogether. Even much higher prospects than Pat need to avoid the major leagues: Spain, Greece, Italy, France, Germany, Russia, even others like Lithuania, Israel, etc. The leagues are stuffed with grown ass men that have played professionally for several years. And the teams expect you to stuff the stat sheet. Averaging less than double digits will kill you. You can't be a role player as you are taking a spot amongst the limited "foreign" spots in the roster.

Then there's the cultural adaptation and your own fit into being happy with the lifestyle of being away from home, language barriers, etc.

It's pretty amazing to go through the bios of the successful players in different European leagues. The overwhelming majority of them don't come from P6 programs. You'd expect they did, but they do not. I attribute this to cultural fit being more important than raw initial talent. You need it to stick around, develop your game as you change from a young stud to a grown ass man. If you don't have the cultural fit, you end up not doing the time and develop.

Thanks for the color. I haven’t paid that close attention to the European leagues. From a physical standpoint, I view him more like a grown ass man. But his game may need more seasoning. And understand the cultural changes can be difficult. Just not sure if he is quick and skilled enough for the NBA. Hope I am wrong. What a story that would be.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

That’s the best move for him. He would have rarely seen the court if at all as the 15th man on the Warriors.

If he can get a G League spot with them (or anyone), then he should jump at the opportunity.

I think he played G-League for Washington last year, then a few games of summer league before signing with Golden State.

The rumor was that GS would send him to G-League if he cleared waivers. Maybe, maybe not.

 

[GatoLouco]

Thanks for the color. I haven’t paid that close attention to the European leagues. From a physical standpoint, I view him more like a grown ass man. But his game may need more seasoning. And understand the cultural changes can be difficult. Just not sure if he is quick and skilled enough for the NBA. Hope I am wrong. What a story that would be.

I am not an expert whatsoever. I leaned on conversations with a couple of agents that have pointed out the difficulty in convincing kids to build their resume over time. Most of them will take going to France or even Lithuania, over Romania or Portugal. And they are not ready. It's understandable. But that's how, most of them, are retired 2 years later. They fail, don't get the stats, don't get the minutes.. this exacerbates loneliness, etc.

Take Pat, he has now burned 2 years where he could have been playing full seasons in a minor Euro league. He could be a 15 ppg guy by now and be taken seriously, and ready to succeed in, let's say Italy.

I agree with you that, physically at least, Pat is pretty developed. But grown ass man in this context also includes experience in these "veteran" leagues. Along with being perfectly adapted and happy with the day to day life you have. This last part is difficult in Europe, in most cases much harder playing in Asia, South America, or the middle East.

I personally think there's a (very small) chance Pat could make the NBA. Just don't see it now. It would be as a 28-30 year old after having strongly developed his outside shot.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

We got the long awaited Baldwin versus Christie matchup tonight with the warriors and Lakers squaring off!

 

[jschufreider]

Lots of former NU players have been playing overseas for many years. This season has Shurna in Spain. Drew Crawford in Italy, Derek Pardon in Australia, Alex Olah in Romania, and Juice Thompson hanging on in Egypt. Vic Law turned a big season in Australia last year into a much bigger money contract in Japan this year.

I agree that if Spencer could get a G league contract he should take it. Not much money, but a better fit for him, IMHO. Overseas he’s a JAG -just another guy.

 

[EagerFan]

I wonder how much the NU grads playing overseas communicate/network with each other.

 

[jschufreider]

Pat Spencer is on the Santa Cruz Warriors (Golden State’s G League team) roster.
anyone want to wager he’s up with Golden State by the end of the season? I wouldn’t bet against him.

 

[EvanstonCat]

Lots of former NU players have been playing overseas for many years. This season has Shurna in Spain. Drew Crawford in Italy, Derek Pardon in Australia, Alex Olah in Romania, and Juice Thompson hanging on in Egypt. Vic Law turned a big season in Australia last year into a much bigger money contract in Japan this year.

I agree that if Spencer could get a G league contract he should take it. Not much money, but a better fit for him, IMHO. Overseas he’s a JAG -just another guy.

Where's Reggie Hearn these days?

 

[jschufreider]

Where's Reggie Hearn these days?

Just announced his retirement from basketball this week. Going to join the Spurs as a scout

 

[jschufreider]

Just checked on Pat in the G League. He’s averaging 13.5 Ppg and playing the most minutes of anyone on the Santa Cruz Warriors.

Patrick Baldwin, Jr. is on his team as well.

 

[TheC]

Just checked on Pat in the G League. He’s averaging 13.5 Ppg and playing the most minutes of anyone on the Santa Cruz Warriors.

Patrick Baldwin, Jr. is on his team as well.

So, I think the conclusion to draw is we got the better recruit out of the two?

 

[clarificationcat]

So, I think the conclusion to draw is we got the better recruit out of the two?

Sadly (for Patrick Baldwin and his family), Spencer was the more effective college player, especially with Baldwin missing a bunch of games due to injury. I think 99.% of the time you are taking the 5-star player over the former lacrosse player...

As far as professional basketball player, Baldwin still has time (he's 5 or 6 years younger than Spencer) and hopefully he will figure it out. It sounds like part of the issue in college was effort.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

So, I think the conclusion to draw is we got the better recruit out of the two?

Or our staff develops talent better than PB Sr and staff? 😀