Healthy GP2 leaving Ferrari in garage, ready to unleash Lamborghini originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – He’s fast, stylish and always ready to step on the line to go against the best of the best. Gary Payton II has all the makings of a flashy red Ferrari.
This past offseason, Payton made it a goal to keep the Ferrari in the garage and let a Lamborghini be unleashed.
“He has an incredible engine, but he’s in the shop quite a bit,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Friday after practice. “He told me this year that he wanted to be a Lamborghini, because I guess they’re not in the shop as often.”
“Ferrari’s got to have too much maintenance, so I switched to a Lambo,” Payton later explained.
Between the Portland Trail Blazers and Warriors, Payton was limited to only 22 games in the 2022-23 NBA season, and he played just 44 games last season because of injuries. Payton had an injury-free offseason and played in the Warriors’ first 27 games this season.
But Payton has appeared in only two of the Warriors’ last 13 games. Payton missed the Warriors’ loss to the Indiana Pacers on Dec. 23 because of a calf issue he sustained the previous game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He returned for their Christmas Day game against the Los Angeles Lakers, only to play six and a half minutes before missing the next 10 games due to that same calf problem.
His return Thursday couldn’t have been better timing. Whenever given the opportunity, Kerr lets Payton loose to attack the other team’s top scorer. In the Warriors’ most recent game, that meant pitting Payton against Timberwolves 23-year-old superstar Anthony Edwards.
There wasn’t another player that Payton had guarded more this season. Entering the day, Payton had defended Edwards for 14 minutes and 27 seconds, to which the former No. 1 overall draft pick had scored 11 points on 5 of 10 shooting. Edwards scored 28 points in a one-point Warriors win, but Payton earned his paycheck following his direct opponent’s every move.
Only two of those 28 points came with Payton on Edwards, and both actually were at the free-throw line. Edwards was credited with two shot attempts being defended by Payton. He missed both and didn’t have any assists, but did turn the ball over once.
Saturday will serve as yet another chance for Payton to battle a top scorer, and this time it’ll be against his good friend and former Warriors teammate Jordan Poole when the Washington Wizards come to Chase Center.
“Two totally different players, different styles,” Payton said of Edwards and Poole. “Ant’s hunting them, Jordan’s hunting them too. They just hunt in a different way, but they’re both still killers. Ant could be running around freely for half the year, but he knows he’s going to get touched when he sees me. He knows it. Jordan knows it, too. But Ant’s mindset is he’s always in attack mode. Always wants to get it done, always wants to be aggressive.
“Jordan is too, but like I said, two totally different beasts. I try not to let them get as many touches as they normally do on other nights. … That brings the best out of me for both of them, because they’re good at what they do – putting the ball in the basket.”
Payton and Edwards have a friendly relationship on and off the court. It just doesn’t compare to Payton and Poole.
In Poole’s time with the Warriors the two became extremely close. They even traveled together last offseason, making their competition on the court that much more of must-see TV.
“It’s all love at the end of the day, but darn it, we’re probably going to talk s–t for sure,” Payton said. “Jordan knows what I like to do. And I was with Jordan all summer, so he knows what I like to do and I know what he’s been working on. It’s time to see what’s good. He already knows.
“Tomorrow’s going to be fun for us again.”
For the Warriors, the fun won’t last long if Payton is sidelined again soon. They’re 16-13 with him this season, and 4-7 without.
On a team that features two of the most unique stars of all time in Steph Curry and Draymond Green, Payton’s skill set is one that few have ever had. Standing 6-foot-2, Payton has to be quick enough and smart enough to slide and sprint with basketball’s best at scoring in bunches, using his 6-8 wingspan as a weapon that’s nearly impossible to evade. Offensively, he sneaks behind the defense, uses his immense athleticism and throws it down out of the dunker spot.
When Payton played 71 regular-season games in the 2021-22 regular season, his impact was felt every time Kerr called his number. When he had a 95.0 defensive rating for the champion Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals, his game-changing ability was far from a secret.
“This guy is an elite, elite defensive player,” Kerr said. “I always think back to the Boston series in ‘22. He misses the first game, we lose. He comes back, we win four out of the next five. His defense was a huge part of that. Gary was an integral part of guarding the best players in the world – Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown. We know he’s a crucial part of our success as a team.”
The Warriors don’t want to waste Payton’s minutes. If they’re going to keep him out of the shop and let his best features shine, it has to be strategic. That means short bursts against the best players. Not a marathon but a sprint to preserve a Lamborghini for the long haul.
What color would that hypothetical Lamborghini be? Are we talking tinted windows, leather interior, shining rims and a souped-up engine to hit top speed whenever he damn well pleases?
“That’s a good question,” Payton says. “When I get one, I’ll let you know.”
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