Gary Payton II is another Golden State Warriors success story

The Golden State Warriors have become a home for lost toys over the last decade as numerous NBA prospects have found unparalleled success in the Bay Area. Gary Payton II might be the next player to take advantage of this trend.

While some names such as Jordan Bell and Eric Paschall may have only shown brief flashes in Golden State before trailing off elsewhere, there is no doubt the Warriors have built an environment suitable for developing prospects.

Look no further than Jordan Poole, Juan Toscano-Anderson and Damion Lee. This trio of underdogs entered the league with varying expectations but each of them, at some point, had their careers hanging in the balance. Fast forward to today and they make up one of the strongest cores we have seen in years for Golden State.

Gary Payton II is shaping up to be another example of the Golden State Warriors catering to young players’ strengths and maximizing their potential.

For Payton, being the son of a legendary NBA guard can only take you so far. This is not to say he did not earn his first few stints in the league — but it quickly became clear that Payton would have to blaze his own trail if he wanted to last.

Unfortunately, Payton came into the pros with some serious limitations. Sure, he was a hardnosed defender from day one, an honorable attribute he likely gained from his dad. But, Payton was raw, underdeveloped and could not shoot the ball to save his life.

Payton’s journey to Golden State

At 6’3″ and with no real offensive skills early on, Payton struggled to find a home. He played briefly in Milwaukee, Los Angeles and Washington before landing in Golden State on a 10-day contract in 2020.

Here, he was given a pretty small role on a team that was ramping up momentum for a late playoff berth (which was fumbled in the Play-In tournament). In his first three games with the Dubs, Payton racked up just 28 seconds of playing time.

Then, with just four days left on his contract, Payton received an opportunity to prove himself. The Warriors were decimating the Oklahoma City Thunder — allowing Payton to hit the floor for nearly 10 minutes. During this time, he scored 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting and swiped 4 steals.

Payton eventually earned a second 10-day deal and wound up as a member of the Warriors’ Summer League roster and training camp to begin the 2021-22 NBA season.

A pivotal moment for Payton

It is here where a few unfortunate turns began to take place. Firstly, Payton suffered a hernia injury that would restrict his ability to be on the floor and claim his spot on the roster. Then, the Dubs signed Avery Bradley, a skilled veteran who felt like the exact type of 3-and-D presence the franchise needed at this point.

All of the signs pointed towards Bradley taking the final roster spot. His experience, combined with his expertise in perimeter defense made him the obvious choice. Again, to make matters worse, Payton was not able to compete much before the season began.

To say Bradley fumbled at the goal line would be an understatement. After emerging as the clear favorite, he played horribly in the preseason. He shot just 7-of-18 from the field (2-for-9 from deep on mostly wide-open attempts) and proved to be a net-negative for the Dubs.

As a result, both Payton and Bradley were cut. Soon after, the Warriors resigned Payton to a partially guaranteed minimum contract — a deal they likely could not have gotten for the veteran Bradley.

Payton’s first steps towards shining

Payton did not do much in his first two games this season. He was on an extremely tight leash, being used as a specialist in rare circumstances. For example, Payton received a few seconds of playing time against Los Angeles at the end of a quarter in order to disrupt Russell Westbrook — this ended in a steal for Payton.

According to Steve Kerr, this is the plan for Payton. He is a defensive menace who can be used in spurts to inject the team with energy (The Athletic). This specialty came in handy when the Dubs faced off against a perimeter-oriented team in Sacramento while Andre Iguodala nursed an injury.

Payton was given 20 minutes of playing time, scoring 10 points and recording a steal while constantly attacking the rim and nailing both of his 3-point attempts.

This is the future for Payton. Each moment he brings toughness to the defensive end along with any type of production on offense will further solidify him as another success story for Golden State’s development team.