Gary Payton II was literally out of a job at the start of the NBA season after the Golden State Warriors cut him prior to the new season. All that changed at the zero hour when Payton II got resigned on October 19th and got to extend his well-traveled NBA career.
Payton II has been a pro since 2016 and has not really caught on with any NBA team except the Washington Wizards where he played 29 games in 2019/20. His time at Golden State last season lasted all of 10 games, averaging 2.5 points per game and 1 rebound. Then with the cutting of Avery Bradley, the Warriors finally got their 15th man, and it looks like this time Payton II is going to make the most of his present situation.
Payton II came off the bench against Sacramento in the Warriors 119-107 victory to get 10 points and 1 rebound, and hustled on the defensive end. Stephen Curry paid attention to that performance and heaped a lot of praise on a player who will be expected to contribute off the bench this season.
Stephen Curry praises Gary Payton II
Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors is showered with water by his teammates Gary Payton II #0 and Damion Lee #1 as they celebrate after defeating the Los Angeles Lakers 121-114 (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
After the game the franchise player stated, “Defensively he gives us an edge… And then he (Payton II) knocked down two 3s, which was huge. If he’s going to get open shots, he has to take them. We just want him to stay locked in, stay competitive and stay focused on when his moment comes and show he can do it.”
The Golden State Warriors are off to a fabulous start going 3-0 having defeated all their California rivals to kick off the season, the Lakers, Clippers, and Kings. Golden State scored over 100 points in each of their first three games.
