Every day, we’ll take a closer look at another member of the 2026-27 Phoenix Suns, examining what they bring to the roster and what their role could mean for the season ahead as we count down to training camp and the preseason.
Pat Spencer
Point guard, 6’2”, 205 pounds, 30 years old, 3rd season
Wanted: a player considered one of the greatest college lacrosse players of all time, who somehow turned 1 year of college basketball into an NBA career. Must possess grit, toughness, tenacity, and the willingness to make
every possession feel like a bar fight. Oh, and one hell of a savage mustache.
That’s right, Pat Spencer is who the Phoenix Suns signed this offseason when they brought him in on a two-way contract. He’s somebody who set the NCAA men’s lacrosse record for career assists before ultimately making his way to the NBA. Spencer originally attended Loyola University Maryland, where he played lacrosse. But after graduating, he still had a year of basketball eligibility, so he transferred to Northwestern for the 2019–20 season.
Since then, he’s worked his way through the G League, spending time with the Capital City Go-Go and Santa Cruz Warriors before earning meaningful minutes with Golden State last season. It was enough to catch the attention of the Suns.
Spencer may not be someone who regularly impacts the NBA roster, but he can be a foundational piece for the Valley Suns. He can set the table for others, bring toughness and organization to the floor, and help reinforce the identity Phoenix wants throughout the entire organization.
Last Season
The Golden State Warriors were riddled with injuries last season, with their players missing a combined 330 games, the eighth most in the NBA. And when injuries happen, opportunity follows. That’s where Pat Spencer’s story really began.
He played 10 games in November without making a start. Then, on December 6, he made his first NBA start of his career. By February, Spencer appeared in 10 games and started seven of them, eventually forcing Golden State to convert his two-way contract into a standard deal out of necessity. All told, Spencer played 66 games for the Warriors last season, starting 14 and averaging 18.6 minutes per game. He finished seventh on the team in total minutes and third in assists with 232.
His best game of the season? On February 5, Spencer went 6-of-10 from beyond the arc, scored 20 points, grabbed six rebounds, and added four assists in a 101–97 victory. The opponent? The Phoenix Suns.
Contract and Roster Context
Spencer signed a two-way contract with Phoenix and will become an unrestricted free agent next summer, with the Suns not retaining his Bird rights.
What He Brings
Pat Spencer is the type of player every organization should want in its system. He proved last season that, when called upon, he can step in and provide productive basketball. He isn’t elite in any one area, but the collection of skills he brings can serve as a positive foundation for an organization that doesn’t need to rely on him every night to be successful.
It’s kind of like building a house. You have the foundation, the frame, the electricity, the piping, and the aesthetics. Spencer is like the piping. Absolutely necessary, rarely noticed, and built to hold up over time.
He brings energy, a touch of playmaking, a smidgen of shooting, and reliability in the areas that don’t always show up in a box score. Those intangibles matter. And he’s the type of player you want in your system because he helps reinforce the larger vision of the organization.
For the Phoenix Suns, that identity is built around toughness, tenacity, playing hard on both ends of the floor, and refusing to quit. That is where Pat Spencer shines. He may not have great size, elite athleticism, or a particularly high ceiling as a player. But he has that dog in him, and that can benefit both Spencer and the organization at the G League level, and whenever he is called upon with the big club.
What Needs to Improve
Pat Spencer is limited, and that is the primary reason he can’t be counted on for a larger role. He isn’t a big guard. And while we’ve seen throughout NBA history, and even on this current roster, that size can sometimes matter more in the heart than on a physical attribute sheet, it’s still nice to have a little bit of it.
Spencer has limitations as an isolation scorer against elite length and athleticism. Put a quality point of attack defender on him while he’s trying to facilitate, and you can jam him up rather quickly. That forces him to rely more on basketball IQ, angles, and opportunities rather than on breaking down defenders one-on-one.
He also isn’t a great shooter. Spencer is a career 33.9% three-point shooter, though that comes on only 65-of-192 from deep, so the volume isn’t massive. Defensively, there is no doubt he plays aggressively and with a chip on his shoulder. But he can still struggle with rotational instincts and off-ball awareness.
There are multiple areas of his game that can improve, from finishing to shooting consistency to defensive rotations.
Prediction
I don’t think we’ll see much from Pat Spencer this season, and ultimately, that could be a good thing. It would mean the Suns stayed relatively healthy and didn’t have to reach into their G League treasure chest and pull out Pat “The Pipe” Spencer. Yeah, I just made that nickname up. And I like it!
If he does get an opportunity, I expect his role to look somewhat similar to Jamaree Bouyea’s a year ago, although Spencer may not be as effective offensively right away. What he does bring is a different layer, and that could become something worth watching as the season moves along. Bouyea’s contract isn’t guaranteed beyond January, which could eventually create competition for that final roster spot. If the Suns like what they see from Spencer in the G League, and if he performs well in spot opportunities with the big club, Phoenix could eventually have a decision to make: Do you stick with Bouyea? Or do you go with Pat Spencer?
Stat Prediction: 13 games, 5.4 points, 1.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 41/31/75 splits
Final Word
When you look at the three two-way spots, I think this represents an upgrade for the Phoenix Suns. For an organization that didn’t make a ton of moves this offseason, swapping Pat Spencer into the Isaiah Livers spot makes sense. The Suns now have three two-way players who bring three distinct skill sets, and Spencer might be the clearest embodiment of what this organization wants to be: tough, competitive, smart, and willing to do the dirty work.
You build an organization by selecting players who represent what you want to become, and Spencer fits that mold. He may not have a large role with the Suns, but he should have a meaningful one with the Valley Suns. And if his NBA career has taught us anything, it’s that you probably shouldn’t bet against a guy who went from being one of the greatest lacrosse players in college history to earning a spot in the NBA. He’s going to give a shit every single day, and sometimes that’s exactly the kind of player you want in your organization.
