A host of Golden State Warriors players were always going to feel the impact of De'Anthony Melton's return to the rotation, but there's one in particular whose role appears to have been crushed after only two games.
Gary Payton II had brought some better form to the table over the last couple of weeks, yet Melton was always going to be an upgrade as a similarly-sized guard with much more offensive upside. The subsequent contrast in minutes has been drastic, leaving Payton with an uncertain role that will only become more clouded with the expected return of Stephen Curry later this week.
The role of Gary Payton II has been crushed by De'Anthony Melton
Payton played a huge role in a win over the New Orleans Pelicans at the end of last month, dropping 19 points, 11 rebounds and three assists on 9-of-14 shooting from the floor in one of his better performances in recent seasons.
He followed his 25 minutes in that game with another nearly 27 against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the start of last week, proving productive again with 13 points, five rebounds and five assists on 5-of-9 shooting.
Yet despite the pair of positive performances, Melton's return from nearly 13 months out with a long-term knee injury in Philadelphia on Thursday signalled Payton's push back down the rotation pecking order.
The 33-year-old played just over three minutes in that game, before finding a bigger role again with a season-high in minutes in Saturday's shock win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, that came with an asterisk of sorts given Melton was resting on the first night of a back-to-back, while the Warriors were only with 10 available players.
Once again, Melton returned on Sunday against the Chicago Bulls and Payton's minutes plummeted to just over four, including none in the second-half as Golden State recorded an impressive and dominant 123-91 victory.
This provides us with an early but obvious trend when it comes to Payton's minutes in relation to Melton's availability. It's in no way a surprise, but it has been excellent to see Melton return in a way that proves he should be head-and-shoulders above Payton and others in the rotation.
The 27-year-old has averaged 13.5 points, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals in his two games, shooting 45% from the floor and more importantly looking like the two-way presence that he briefly delivered for Golden State prior to his devastating injury last season.
As Steve Kerr and the Warriors look to answer key rotation questions upon a return closer to full health, don't be surprised if Payton sees more DNPs with so many guard options now available.