Getty Gary Payton II of the Golden State Warriors dunks during a game against the Charlotte Hornets on November 3, 2021.
Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II has been waiting for this season his entire life.
After years of toiling mostly in lesser leagues, the 29-year-old is the epitome of self-awareness in a basketball player. Payton knows exactly who he is, and who he’s not, and he isn’t shy about saying it.
“Not every player is going to score 30, and I obviously don’t shoot like f****** Steph Curry, but I do damn near everything else elite,” Payton said during an interview with Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer published Tuesday, November 30. “It just took one organization to understand that and realize that.”
If Payton can Make it in Golden State, he can Make it Anywhere
GettyAnthony Davis, LeBron James and Gary Payton II during a preseason game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors on October 12.
The franchise that finally did figure it out just happened to be the Warriors, a title favorite in large part due to the tremendous depth on the roster. The Dubs are 18-3 and sitting in second place in the Western Conference, despite the absences of Klay Thompson and James Wiseman for the entire season to this point.
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One might imagine the paradigm that currently exists in Golden State would be something of an anxiety producer for Payton. It took five years for even one of the smartest franchises in the NBA to recognize his potential, as the defensive specialist bounced between short stints with a handful of teams beginning in 2016.
Now, the team with which Payton has landed doesn’t have enough minutes to go around. This is true for a multitude of reasons including, but not limited to, the emergence of Jordan Poole as a starting-caliber scorer, the free agent signings of Otto Porter Jr. and Nemanja Bjelica, and the surprisingly fast ascension of rookie Jonathan Kuminga to a regular role player. And all this before Thompson and Wiseman have even returned to the active roster.
Payton has Carved out a Spot With Staying Power on Dubs’ Roster
GettyGolden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II and Brooklyn Nets guard James Harden during the teams’ game on November 16, 2021.
But Payton continues to get his, averaging more than 14 minutes per night. The reason? His aforementioned basketball self-awareness.
Payton fills the Dubs’ specific need for a versatile defender, and that role is not going away whether it’s as a guard or playing a quasi-power forward role similar to the one Bruce Brown fills for the Brooklyn Nets. Payton’s floor time may diminish some with the return of Thompson but after more than two seasons on the sidelines, the Warriors will ramp up their five-time All-Star shooting guard slowly.
And even when the Splash Brothers finally get back to normal, with Poole likely relegated to a sixth-man role as the bench’s primary offensive weapon, Payton will still be needed. He will still have value. And he knows it.
“There wasn’t nothing that was gonna take me away from trying to make it here and just continuing to fight,” Payton told Bleacher Report. “Golden State understands what I bring to the table — my defensive skills, my off-ball cutting, screening, being able to play the dunker and just take open shots when they present themselves. There are a lot of guys, like Draymond [Green], that can do a lot of different things and help win games.”
Much of what Payton does on the court doesn’t show up on the stat sheet, though his traditional counting statistics are solid considering his level of playing time — 6.4 points per game complemented by 3.2 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 0.8 assists, per Basketball Reference. He’s also shooting 36% from the 3-point line on 1.3 attempts per game, which means opponents can not entirely ignore him from a defensive perspective.
Payton has scratched and clawed to earn his place on the Warriors’ roster and after an unsure offseason that included an untimely hernia issue that almost cost him this shot, Payton has cut out what appears to be a permanent role for himself in Golden State moving forward.
It did not come easy, but it is certainly well deserved.