After a long offseason that started with some uncertainty, Gary Payton II is set to return to the Golden State Warriors on a new deal in free agency once Jonathan Kuminga’s situation is resolved.
There was a thought that the Warriors could look elsewhere at other options to bolster this roster, but Payton’s familiarity in Steve Kerr’s system and his locker room presence is clearly valued by the franchise, particularly after the departure of fellow veteran Kevon Looney to the New Orleans Pelicans.
With NBA insider Marc Stein reaffirming the expectation that Payton will be back with Golden State, attention can now turn to his role and whether he should be a consistent nightly rotation piece for Steve Kerr.
Gary Payton II should be held for specific matchups this season
When healthy Payton has remained a favorite of Kerr’s over the past two seasons, averaging around 15 minutes per game which rose to 16.4 in this year’s playoffs. There have been times where this has come at the frustration of Warrior fans, particularly given Payton’s offensive limitations and his inclusion in three or four guard lineups.
It’s time now that Kerr comes to a realization many fans have already made — that Payton should be held for specific matchups or moments rather than being a guaranteed member of the rotation. The 32-year-old appeared in 62 games for Golden State last season, but the 20 he missed were due to injury or being inactive rather than being a DNP-coaches decision.
Unless Payton comes out in training camp/preseason looking rejuvenated and like the 2021-22 version of himself, the Warriors should be moving on from him as a core contributor. That doesn’t mean he can’t be important in certain games or hold value in the locker room, but there’s also other options now that should be ahead of him in the rotation.
A healthy De’Anthony Melton should provide Golden State with a legitimate upgrade, likely leaving Payton as the 11th man on the roster as outlined by Danny Emerman of The San Fransisco Standard this week.
“With a full-strength roster, Payton is a luxury, an energy boost and a security blanket for Kerr. That’s potentially a lot of value from an 11th man — again, if he can stay off the trainer’s table,” Emerman wrote.
Perhaps Payton could be in the mix anyway if Kerr goes 11 or 12-deep in the rotation to start the season, yet even then young guys like Gui Santos or Trayce Jackson-Davis may be more worthy of investing minutes into albeit at different positions.
There are still going to be times where Kerr calls on Payton in positions that aren’t always understandable to fans, but those situations should be far less frequent than what we’ve seen over the past two years.
