The Golden State Warriors are off to a solid start to the season, but it has become abundantly clear that fan favorite Gary Payton II has been iced out by head coach Steve Kerr thus far. Given the veteran's struggles, it is not hard to figure out why.
Payton has averaged just 2.3 points per game so far this season and has seen his minutes take a hit. He is averaging just 8.4 minutes per game which is nearly half of what he averaged last season. It is still early and this is a small sample size because he has only played in seven games, but things are not trending in the right direction for Payton.
Steve Kerr is icing Gary Payton II out of the Warriors rotation
He did not see any playing time at all on Tuesday night against the Phoenix Suns. Perhaps this was an intentional move by Kerr knowing he was going to need Payton to play a decent amount on Wednesday night against the Sacramento Kings, with Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler already ruled out from the game.
But still, the fact that he hasn't been out on the floor as much this season shows that Kerr understands he may be losing a bit of his game. Payton is thought of as a defensive specialist, having endeared himself to fans with the way he plays defense and his toughness on the floor. Typically, anything he gave you on offense was seen as a bonus, but his defensive skills have declined so far this season.
That may be inevitable for a 32-year-old player, but when you are one-dimensional and really only bring a lot of value on one side of the floor, naturally you are going to see your minutes dwindle if what your main skill is reduced.
It doesn't help matters that his decline has coincided with the rise of rookie Will Richard. The rookie has a lot of experience after playing four years in college and has played beyond his years in the court time he's got this season. He has impressed with his game, so if he keeps it up Payton may find himself hard-pressed to get playing time.
Still, it's very early in the season. A rough start does not mean it's time to write Payton off completely. Perhaps all he needs is one big game to prove to Kerr he still has some gas left in the tank and can be a key contributor on Golden State's bench this season.
It's not time to panic, but Payton will need to turn things around fairly soon before it is too late.