Warriors’ defensive ace GP2 beats Trail Blazers with buckets originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – It was two hours before tipoff Monday night, and Warriors coach Steve Kerr was sharing his vision of Gary Payton II’s role in the absence of starting guard Brandin Podziemski.
Payton, Kerr said, would be able to support Jimmy Butler III’s orchestration of the team’s offense whenever Stephen Curry is off the floor.
“Gary’s obviously not a true point guard, but he can handle the ball and get us into offense,” Kerr said. “We’re elite at that position defensively with Gary there, so I think that’s what we will lean towards, with BP out, Gary handling those minutes. Then probably playing with Jimmy.
“So, Jimmy ends up handling the ball most of the time anyway. But Gary can bring it up against pressure, and get us into sets, and get the ball to Jimmy.”
What Kerr got in Golden State’s 130-120 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers was much more of the opposite: Butler getting the ball to Payton. And other Warriors, too, getting the ball to Payton. It was the right thing to do.
Payton was making shots – 3-pointers, layups, a floater, a dunk, even a hook shot – at a higher rate than Butler or Curry or any other teammate. The 6-foot-2 wing shot 11 of 16 from the field, including 4 of 6 from beyond arc, finishing with a career- and team-high 26 points in 28 minutes off the bench.
This was a new and welcome dimension for the, ahem, defensive specialist.
“He’s going to be open from the 3-point line every game,” Kerr said after the game. “We had him handling the ball quite a bit to initiate the offense. And then he would receive it on the back end because of how they were playing everybody else. It’s a product of their defense.”
Curry scored 24 points while receiving his customary copious attention. Buddy Hield and Moses Moody each put in 20 points, while Butler managed 15 points, along with 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his first triple-double as a Warrior and the first of the season for the team.
But Payton, was the star of this game – in a way unlike any before.
“I love what G brings,” Butler said. “He’s got the hardest job of guarding the best player night in and night out. And he never complains. He does whatever you ask him to do. He takes and makes shots, and he’s so fun to watch and so fun to be a teammate of.
“And more than anything, he makes winning play after winning play.”
Payton recorded a steal and a block, which is hardly unusual. What’s unusual is that he took and made the most shots and wound up leading all Golden State scorers for the first time in his 184 games with the franchise.
Payton made one field goal off his own miss, but the other 10 came courtesy of five different teammates. Hield assisted five times, twice on triples. Butler assisted on a pair of threes. Kevon Looney fed Payton for a layup and Curry assisted on a hook shot. And Draymond Green tossed up a lob pass that Payton jammed to the delight of the sellout crowd (18,064).
“Gary plays his role as an All-Star, at an elite level, at a high level,” Hield said. “He’s an All-Star in his role is what I’m trying to say. He’s a [6-foot-2] big man that rolls like anybody, and he’s 99-percentile.”
Payton credited his teammates for creating opportunities he can exploit. He knows his role is to play great defense and chip on offense. The addition of Butler makes scoring easier for him, as it does for most anyone sharing the court with JB3.
“We got another guy that demands a lot of attention,” Payton said, referring to Butler joining Curry to generate offense. “And he knows how to make plays in the post. And when he’s doubled, I just try to find open space and be available for him just to break down defense and make plays.”
There is no timetable for Podziemski’s return. He’s coping with bilateral back soreness that began early in the game at Brooklyn last Thursday.
On this night, Payton provided what was requested by Kerr and a lot more.
“He had a great game at both ends,” Kerr said. “Gary has been playing at a really high level for weeks now, and it’s exciting to see.”
The team’s little big man went above and beyond his usual contributions. Payton scoring 26 points is wildly unexpected, a gift falling from the sky into the hands of a Golden State team that has won 12 of its last 14 games and is in pre-NBA playoff mode.
For Payton, this is a box score worth savoring. Maybe even framing it to hang on a wall.
Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast
Read the full article here
