Getty Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II attempts a shot during a game against the Phoenix Suns.
Right before the Golden State Warriors hit the All-Star break, the team suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Nuggets when Monte Morris hit a game-winning three over Steph Curry at the buzzer. However, there was at least one major positive to be gleaned from the effort.
Namely, the two-way awesomeness of Gary Payton II. After a month with the reserves, Payton returned to the starting lineup for the contest and he made the most of the opportunity.
In 25 minutes of action, the journeyman put up 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting and added six steals, four rebounds and a blocked shot. Along the way, Golden State outscored Denver by 13 points when he was on the floor — in a game they lost by one.
Clearly, the effort made an impression on Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who just served up some hot news regarding the team’s return to the court against the Trail Blazers on Thursday.
“More than likely, Gary will start [against the Blazers],” Kerr said at Wednesday’s practice, via Anthony Slater.
Kerr: GPII Needs More Minutes
The Warriors coach further noted that getting Payton more time on the court is a priority for him as his club enters the home stretch of the regular season. He also opined that the 29-year-old’s presence bolsters the Dubs’ defensive front.
“A little more defensive versatility and gets Gary on the floor more,” Kerr said of the move. “I think getting him more minutes right now is important. I think you could see his impact the other night. So starting him allows us to give him an extra rotation at the beginning of the game which bumps him up closer to 20 minutes, give or take a few.”
Given the Warriors’ injury situation, it stands to reason that Payton would at least get a shot at filling in as a first-fiver, his lack of size notwithstanding. However, Kerr was non-committal about keeping the high-flyer with the starters over an extended period.
He added, “That’ll probably continue, but who knows? We’ll see.”
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Payton’s Defensive Impact Is Otherworldly
Although it’s a group that has logged just 27 minutes together this season, the starting five for the Nuggets game — Payton with Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney — has outscored opponents by a whopping 36.9 points per 100 possessions.
Even more impressive: its defensive rating checks in at 77.4, the best mark of all the team’s five-man combinations (minimum 24 minutes played). And the second, third and fourth-bests defensive lineups all include Payton as well.
As such, it’s little wonder that Kerr would want to get him more time with the playoffs approaching. Payton will almost certainly be asked to come in, lock down and potentially swing the momentum during postseason play, whether he’s starting and playing heavy minutes or not.
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