Gary Payton II

2022 - 6 - 5

Post cover — Image courtesy of "Sports Illustrated"

Gary Payton II Reacts to First Game After Injury (Sports Illustrated)

After missing the previous two rounds with a fractured left elbow that was suffered in Game 2 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals, Gary Payton II appeared ...

Just use him. "Use him. After I got on the floor I kinda calmed down."

NBA Finals 2022: Warriors get huge lift from Gary Payton II, whose ... (CBSSports.com)

The Warriors tried a lot of different things in their 107-88 Game 2, series-evening victory over the Celtics on Sunday. They pressed up harder on shooters, ...

"I know it was hard on him, missing the first couple free throws, and to step in there after that and knock down that three, having very little reps of shooting the basketball since that Memphis series, just shows who he is," Green said of Payton. "That's the reason he's here, though. And moving forward, there are going to be plenty more available for Payton to leave his mark on this series. It didn't look great when Payton back-rimmed two free throws, but then he buried a corner 3, which is such a vital shot within Golden State's offense not just to maintain reasonable spacing, but to make Boston pay when it inevitably collapses on Curry, as it did here: Prior to his injury, the Warriors were generating 3.3 more turnovers per 100 possessions with Payton on the floor. Payton hasn't played since fracturing his elbow in Game 2 of the conference semifinals against Memphis, and Steve Kerr didn't think he was ready to go in Game 1. They immediately went on a 10-0 run, which included the sequence above as well as the one below, where Payton runs the floor and settles into a gap along the baseline. Payton gives Kerr a Poole alternative, and indeed, Payton jumped Poole in the rotation in the second half on Sunday. Poole was held out almost the entire third quarter, when Golden State, perhaps not coincidentally, turned a two-point lead into a 23-point lead and my guess is Payton would've been in the closing lineup over Poole had the game been close down the stretch. Payton and Green can be a menacing duo. Payton in the closing lineup over Poole leaves the Celtics with only one defender to hunt in Curry, and we're going to need to stop with this dialogue that Curry is some kind of weak link. Again, this changes the equation for the rest of this series. He was a plus-15 in 25 significant minutes. They had Klay Thompson match up with bigs, freeing Draymond Green to get more in the line of fire defending Boston's stars.

Gary Payton II provides instant Warriors impact in NBA Finals return (NBC Sports Bay Area)

Gary Payton II's return from his fractured left elbow couldn't have gone better in the Warriors' Game 2 win over the Celtics.

Both here in the Bay Area with the Warriors, and in the Finals looking to get fitted for a championship ring, something even the original Payton never was able to pull off. "We missed him in the last series and in the first game, so having him back out there was great because he just is a disruptor. Payton played only one preseason game with the Warriors this season, their fourth game of their exhibition slate, scoring 12 points along with one rebound, one steal and one block in 11 minutes. He scored 12 in Game 2 and was a minus-17 over 30 minutes. "He kind of brings a different type of energy. "The level of defense, physicality and speed in transition -- it gives us a huge boost." There's no silver lining to the injury and pain he had to endure. As the first quarter came to a close, Steph Curry found a wide-open Payton in the left corner near the Celtics' bench. He scored seven points to go with three rebounds and three assists, and was a perfect 3-for-3 from the field. "He was over there in the corner with [Detlef Schrempf]," Payton said Sunday night. Instead, he turned his body, Brown was called for a foul and Payton fell right on his injured left elbow. Payton played 25 minutes in the win, the most of any Warriors player off the bench.

Is Warriors' Gary Payton II playing tonight vs. Celtics? Guard's elbow ... (Sporting News)

Gary Payton suffered a fractured left elbow and ligament damage in Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals.

ABC ABC ABC ABC ABC ABC --- --- Game 2 of the NBA Finals will tip off around 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 5. the Celtics.

Golden State Warriors: Is Gary Payton II Related to Hall of Famer ... (Sportscasting)

However, unless you're a basketball superfan, you may be asking a question about Payton: Is he related to Hall of Fame point guard Gary Payton? Here's ...

“Gary’s a two-way player,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said earlier this year, per NBC Sports. “When you are that elite defensively, the question then in the playoffs becomes, ‘Can you survive offensively?’ This is a guy who’s among the league leaders in field-goal percentage. However, like his dad, Payton II shines on the defensive end of the court. The 29-year-old has since had a tremendous season for the Western Conference champion Warriors, averaging 7.1 points and 3.5 rebounds in 17.6 minutes. He even considered working for its video coordination department (h/t ESPN) before signing a partially guaranteed deal in October. … I just like it that he’s on this team, and he’s got an opportunity to get even bigger with this squad because I think they’re gonna sign him to a bigger deal next year. He also appeared in some G League games.

Gary Payton II took the long way, but proved he's a series-altering ... (KNBR)

Not for a guy who just changed the NBA Finals after quickly “recovering” from a broken elbow. But in a 107-88 win over the Boston Celtics, evening the Finals at ...

Gary Payton II, Warriors' ultimate disrupter, shakes up Celtics in ... (San Francisco Chronicle)

Gary Payton II's defense, physicality and screen-setting in Game 2 of the NBA Finals...

The Bum Unit is back in business. The Warriors’ Bum Unit kind of came out of nowhere this season. Asked what it was like to be in his first Finals, Payton said, “It was amazing. Otto Porter Jr. made the only shot he took in 15 minutes of play, had three steals, and was a remarkable plus-24. He kind of brings in a different energy. ... He just provides a lot of things that we don’t have.” Payton spent the rest of warm-ups with Golden State Warriors’ teammate Jonathan Kuminga, passing a ball soccer-style, with heads and feet. The second grazed the bottom of the rim. His defense, physicality and screen-setting were just what the Warriors needed to cure their Game 1 ails. Payton is a man of surprises. Apparently even his teammates didn’t know what effect the injury would have on his shooting, because Draymond Green said of that 3-pointer, “It was incredible.” The first shot clanged off the side of the backboard.