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Gary Payton II has been a key cog for the Golden State Warriors this season. He's no superstar but there's no denying that the 29-year-old has been an important figure in coach Steve Kerr's rotation.
As it turns out, however, GPII has been dealing with a rather concerning shin injury that has bothered him for around a month now. Payton has now spoken out about the issue at hand and it does sound like he will be able to play through the injury:
“I don't even know how it happened,” Payton said, via C.J. Holmes of the San Francisco Chronicle. “I just hit it and then it just swelled up. I thought it was good after like a month, the swelling went down then I hit it again. I forgot what game it was. And then it just came back again before the break and after the break.”
Payton first injured his shin on February 1st in a win over the San Antonio Spurs. He hit his shin on a railing after saving the ball from going out of bounds and apparently, it has bothered him since. As he described in his statement above, Payton got hit on the same shin again recently, which caused him to re-aggravate the injury. The 6-foot-3 combo guard was wearing a protective band over his shin on Sunday against the Dallas Mavericks.
According to Payton, he still feels pain in the shin from time to time. However, it's not enough for him to miss any time.
“I'll do what ever I can (to keep the swelling down) before game time, and then at gametime I'll go out there and get it done,” Payton said.
Much like most other members on the squad, Payton is also getting banged up as the season progresses. It's been a tough road for the Warriors, and they are now looking a bit worse for wear.
Klay Thompson is now dealing with an illness and is likely to miss his second consecutive game on Tuesday against the Minnesota Timberwolves. It remains unsure if he will be able to join the team when they take on the Mavs in Dallas on Thursday. Draymond Green is closing in on his return but there is no firm timetable yet, while James Wiseman is still working his way back towards his much-awaited season debut.
The Warriors, who are currently six games behind the league-best Phoenix Suns out West, will need as many warm bodies as they can get during this final stretch of the regular season. The red-hot Memphis Grizzlies are right on their tail at third and the Warriors will need to fend Ja Morant and Co. off if they want to keep their spot in the conference.
The energy Gary Payton II brings to this team is a crucial ingredient to their success and quite frankly, losing him now would be a big blow for the Warriors. The former Oregon standout is currently having the best season of his career, averaging across-the-board career-high marks of 7.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.4 steals in 16.8 minutes per game.
It's worth noting that Payton is on an expiring deal and he will be a free agent this coming offseason. If you ask me, he's definitely earned an extension from the Warriors, and perhaps even a bit of a pay bump from the $1.9 million he's set to pocket this season.
