Golden State Warriors: 3 Underdogs who are shattering expecations

Gary Paton II

Many were left puzzled when the Golden State Warriors chose to grant Gary Payton II an opportunity to prove his worth with the final roster spot. Rather than giving a trusted veteran guard like Avery Bradley, the Warriors placed their faith in the unproven son of an NBA legend.

Always a gifted defender and athlete, Payton’s main limitation in the pros was his lack of a jump shot. Without the ability to score from deep or create plays for others at a high rate, Payton did not bring much to the table.

This is why Payton played a specialist role to start the season. His first burst of playing time came in the closing seconds of the opening night against the Los Angeles Lakers when he was asked to pick Russell Westbrook’s pockets in 10 seconds or less (he did).

Payton’s next chance of showing his worth came against Sacramento when he was given 17 minutes of playing time. He scored 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting while swiping one steal.

Steve Kerr mostly deployed GP2 when the moment called for a scrappy defensive guard. But, that could change now that Payton is shining on both ends.

Payton put up 14 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals on 6-of-19 shooting against Charlotte on Wednesday night. This seems to be enough to warrant more playing time for the Dubs’ latest success story.

https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1456088914473611266

Oh yeah, and he threw down a monstrous dunk over his former teammate, Kelly Oubre. That one felt good.