Gary Payton II was seen as a vital cog for the Golden State Warriors throughout the NBA playoffs, but particularly against the Memphis Grizzlies.
His lockdown defensive from the guard spot was something the Warriors sorely lacked, which was absolutely necessary against a supernova scorer like Ja Morant. Golden State even started him in the series, with the expectation that he'll play a huge part in helping them advance.
However, one fateful collision with Grizzlies' Dillon Brooks injured his elbow and he was suddenly on the shelf for what would have been the biggest moments of his young career.
Now weeks removed from the incident, the Warriors guard was able to look back on what went down with a penned piece for The Players' Tribune. There Payton revealed why the injury didn't rattle him as much as you'd expect.
Even after the X-rays showed it was an elbow fracture, and we knew I was gonna be out, I wasn’t angry about what went down. I was annoyed to miss time, especially in the playoffs, but I didn’t care about the foul. I’ve taken worse hits. I wasn’t mad or shook up about that.
Gary Payton II hasn't had the red carpet Hall of Fame career that his father had. He's had to scrap and fight for his place in the league, which has been a grueling road that one minor injury setback won't overshadow.
He also revealed that Dillon Brooks came to see him after the Warriors closed out the Grizzlies in Game 6.
Also, for the record: There’s no bad blood between me and Dillon. After we closed out Game 6, I got word that he wanted to talk outside the locker room, and when I got there he apologized. I give Dillon a lot of credit for that — no text, no social media, nothing indirect. He came in person, and we talked like grown men. He told me he didn’t mean to hurt me. I believe him.
The latest news that Gary Payton II could potentially be back on the court soon. Hopefully he gets his moment to shine in these playoffs so that his injury setback could be left in the rearview mirror.
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