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The Golden State Warriors have lost Gary Payton II again to an injury just two games after his return from a 13-game absence due to a calf strain.
This time, he went down with a hamstring strain.
The 31-year-old veteran guard quickly made a cryptic post on X (formerly Twitter) that could be interpreted as not a good sign.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania confirmed Warriors fans’ worst fear — Payton will miss several weeks.
“I feel bad for him more than anything,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters after the Warriors beat the Orlando Magic 121-115 to end a 3-game skid. “Feel bad for us too, but mainly for him. He’s been out for four or five weeks. He worked hard to get back to this point. He makes such a big impact for us. Fingers crossed that he’s not out too long.”
Payton suffered the injury in the third quarter and he never returned.
The injury occurred after Payton tried to fight Magic big man Paolo Banchero’s screen. Payton awkwardly stumbled and immediately grabbed his left thigh.
Moses Moody is expected to return to Kerr’s rotation if Payton II misses a significant amount of games.
Warriors Teammates Rally Around Gary Payton II
Despite Payton averaging modest numbers — 5.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.1 steals — his Warriors teammates underscored the importance of his role.
“He’s such a big part of our team,” Chris Paul told reporters. “People may not realize it, but his energy is consistent every day — every practice, every game. Him coming back has been huge for us. So I hope whatever it is isn’t going to take a long time. I think for him, it’s going to be about getting as healthy as possible.”
“He relieves so much pressure for us, as far as guarding,” Klay Thompson added. “I’m sure we’re going to miss him, but we just want to be healthy.”
His on/off stats backed up their claims. The Warriors are 6.4 points better with him and minus-0.5 worse without him on the floor.
Draymond Green Still No-Show
Despite earlier reports suggesting Draymond Green is nearing his return, Kerr’s latest update signals the opposite.
Green has not shown up yet in the team’s practice facility, Warriors coach Steve Kerr shared with reporters before they snapped a 3-game skid with a 121-115 win over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday, January 2. But the line of communication is open as Kerr said he has been texting with Green this whole time.
“We’ve been giving him his space, he’s been giving us ours,” Kerr said via NBA.com.
The Warriors improved to 6-4 since Green was indefinitely suspended for striking Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the face during a December 12 loss.
On Christmas Day, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that “there’s a general belief that his suspension will cover a range of 11 to 13 games — barring any setbacks.”
By the end of the Warriors’ season-high seven-game homestand against the New Orleans Pelicans on January 10, Green would have missed his 14th game due to suspension.
Green is undergoing periodic virtual meetings with the NBA, NBPA and the Warriors to chart his progress aside from undergoing counseling.
“These Zoom meetings are playing a role in how the NBA, National Basketball Players Association and the Warriors measure Green’s progress toward working through whatever issues might have contributed to repeated violent episodes with opponents and a former teammate, sources said,” Wojnarowski wrote.
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