4 Golden State Warriors affected by the return of Gary Payton II

Gary Payton II made his long-awaited return against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday, providing the Golden State Warriors with solid minutes in a positive opening for the 30-year-old guard.

With Payton back in the fold, the Warriors had a new-look rotation that may be a sign of things to come as we near the postseason. It wasn’t all positive though, with Golden State suffering a brutal loss and fans left frustrated by some of the rotation decisions.

A number of players had their minutes affected by the return of Gary Payton II to the Golden State Warriors lineup on Sunday.

Head coach Steve Kerr utilized a ten-man rotation against the Timberwolves, though that reduced to nine after the opening period. There’s a lot to play out over the coming fortnight and beyond, but there were four players

Jonathan Kuminga

Just 15 minutes for the second-year forward on Sunday, having now produced two quieter games after a three-game stretch where he averaged 21 points per contest. Many believe Kuminga should be playing a minimum of 20 minutes each game, particularly with the ongoing absence of Andrew Wiggins. However, Kerr still utilizes him on a game-by-game basis depending on the matchup and how he performs in his first stint during the first-half.

The 20-year-old getting less minutes than Anthony Lamb is what really irritates fans. The issue is that both Kuminga and Payton, despite having decent three-point percentages, are both largely left alone by opposition teams from beyond the arc. The fact is that Lamb has a more respectable perimeter shot, and it may be difficult to have Kuminga and Payton on the floor together in the same unit for long periods.

Donte DiVincenzo

Warrior fans rightly salivated at the thought of DiVincenzo and Payton hounding opposition offenses together in the same unit. However, the thought of that may be greater than what we actually see in reality.

At this point late in the season, Golden State will almost always have two of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole on the floor at all times. Adding DiVincenzo and Payton would mean a four-guard lineup which, while we could see it occasionally, is unlikely to be a sustainable mix. With Payton’s return, and the fact there’ll still be times Kerr wants to go all out offense with Curry, Thompson and Poole together, DiVincenzo’s minutes are likely to be more limited.

JaMychal Green

Green saw nearly four minutes in the opening period on Sunday, then failed to see the floor for the remainder of the game. He’s been in-and-out of Kerr’s rotation practically all season, and Payton’s return pushes him further down the pecking order despite the size difference between the two. The 6’2″ Payton has been given the moniker ‘the little big man’, largely because of the center-like role he plays on offense, as well as his ability to compete against bigger players on defense.

Moses Moody

Moody’s recent form, in limited minutes, has actually been encouraging, meaning his complete removal from the rotation against Minnesota would frustrate some fans. It’s just the reality of where the second-year wing finds himself in a roster laden with guard/wing types.

The 20-year-old doesn’t bring the same defensive capacity as Payton, DiVincenzo or Kuminga, and he doesn’t have any offensive weapons that separates him from those players either. Fans can argue that Moody should be getting some or all of Lamb’s minutes, but it’s clear that Kerr is more trusting in the latter’s perimeter threat and his ability to fit into the team defense.