Injuries continue to define the Golden State Warriors‘ 2021-22 campaign. Mere days after Draymond Green finally returned to the lineup to reunite with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, the team lost its MVP during their Wednesday loss to the Celtics.
As a result of a loose-ball collision with Boston’s Marcus Smart, Curry is out indefinitely with a sprained ligament in his left foot. Now, the team’s best hope is that he’ll be ready to roll in time for the playoffs.
Meanwhile, Moses Moody suffered a shoulder injury of his own in the game, Andre Iguodala is still contending with a bad back and former No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman has yet to make his NBA season debut nearly a year after tearing his right meniscus.
That said, the team has apparently had at least one positive development on the injury front recently.
Gary Payton II Has a Possible Return Date
Per a report by Yahoo! Sports’ Chris Haynes on Thursday, there’s finally some light at the end of the tunnel for emergent guard-forward, slam-dunk machine and defensive ace Gary Payton II, who has been dealing with knee soreness.
According to the league insider, Payton is targeting a return this Sunday, March 20, when the Dubs play host to Dejounte Murray and the Spurs.
Payton last hit the court for Golden State two weeks ago during a loss to the Mavericks. After the game, head coach Steve Kerr said that he had taken a shot to the knee; thankfully, the 29-year-old’s MRI came back clean.
It would seem that Payton has made significant physical progress in the last few days. Over the weekend, he told KRON4’s Jason Dumas that he was “day-to-day” while noting that he was trying “to work up to three-on-three and get back to moving up and down.”
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Payton Has Been a Godsend for the Warriors This Season
For a player who was actually waived by Golden State during training camp (then brought back later), Payton has had an incredible impact on their success this season.
To date, the journeyman baller has appeared in 60 games for the Warriors — including 14 starts — and averaged 7.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals per contest while knocking down a whopping 61.2% of his field-goal attempts.
Meanwhile, his net rating of 9.3 is the fourth-best mark on the team among rotation regulars. And his steal percentage of 4.0 would be No. 1 league-wide, per Basketball Reference, if he qualified for the site’s leaderboard.
Although Jordan Poole will be counted on to run the offense in Curry’s absence, Payton’s eventual return to the lineup will likewise be an important factor in the club’s ability to keep their spot in the Western Conference pecking order while Steph is on the mend.
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Warriors’ Breakout Guard, Lockdown Specialist Eyes Return Date: Report