Golden State Warriors dodged a bullet in Avery Bradley

Prior to the 2021-22 NBA season, it felt all but certain Avery Bradley would be the final addition to the Golden State Warriors roster. The veteran guard had everything the franchise needed and his resume seemed to speak for itself.

But, Bob Myers and the coaching staff saw things differently. Rather than giving a contract to the aging defender, the Warriors brought back Gary Payton II. While Payton just turned 30 years old today (Happy birthday GP2!) he does not have the experience of a typical 30-year-old NBA player.

Payton had only played 71 games entering the season and had not found much success in the pros. He was a limited offensive threat who could sometimes make an impact defensively due to his athleticism.

On the other side was Bradley, a 10+ year vet who had blossomed into a 3-and-D presence last decade. It only made sense for the Warriors to pick Bradley… but they did not — and it is paying off.

The Golden State Warriors made a wise decision to move away from Avery Bradley and put their chips into Gary Payton II this season.

Shortly after being dropped by the Dubs, Bradley joined the Los Angeles Lakers who arguably needed his expertise just as badly as anyone else. Except, Bradley has not been his usual self and it is clear he is far from the player he once was.

In 468 total minutes for LA, Bradley is a combined minus 107 on the floor. This makes Bradley the 448th worst rotational player in the league (by plus/minus metrics). He is averaging 5.0 points on just 38.1 percent shooting from the floor.

*Disclaimer, Luka Doncic ranks 449th as a minus 110 this season. So, take plus/minus with a grain of salt. 

As for Payton? He is a plus 142 in just 267 minutes this season. This places him 12th in the league next to names like Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green and Stephen Curry (who is an astounding plus 285!).

Of course, playing on the best team in the league helps GP2 in this regard quite a bit. However, the stats still do a proper job of telling the story as Payton has been a consistent jolt of electricity whereas Bradley has been… well, a dud.

The Warriors made a bold decision to give GP2 the final roster spot and he has done everything they could have asked for up to this point.