Depth at the point guard position has been a problem for the Warriors all year, and ever since Shaun Livingston retired two seasons ago. Golden State is going to try to shore up their backcourt depth with a flyer on Gary Payton II, the team announced on Thursday.
Payton II, 28, the son of Hall of Fame point guard Gary Payton, appeared in 13 games with Raptors 905 of the NBA G League this season, averaging 10.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.54 steals per game, the most in the G League bubble. Payton II is known as a versatile defensive stopper who can guard multiple positions. That puts him the the Brad Wanamaker mold, though Wanamaker was not good enough offensively to warrant playing time. Payton’s ability to contribute on that end will directly correlate with his minutes.
Here are some recent Gary Payton II G-League defensive highlights. He led the bubble in steals. Disruptive guard who can guard multiple perimeter spots. pic.twitter.com/lwX07RcMX1
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) April 8, 2021
Jordan Poole is currently the backup point guard after the experiment of playing he and Nico Mannion together effectively failed. While an excellent scoring and pick-and-roll threat, Poole is arguably the Warriors’ worst defensive player, and it would be nice for the Warriors to have a reserve point guard who can help on that end.
An Oregon State product, Payton went undrafted but has spent time with the Bucks, Lakers and Wizards, starting 17 games for Washington last year.
