Since arriving in the NBA in 2016, Gary Payton II has never managed to win. His defensive qualities are undeniable, his stint with Washington in 2019/2020 had been interesting, but Gary Payton’s son has still not found his place as he has played in four teams in five years and only played in 71 matches.
This season, he distinguished himself in the G-League, becoming defenseman of the year, like his father in the NBA, in 1996. He is now found with the Warriors in the Summer League, where he shone against Toronto on Wednesday night. with 13 points at 3/3 at 3-pts, and a big dunk to conclude.
“The goal is to go to the training camp and fight for a place”, he warns for NBC Sports. “I think I’m capable of doing this. We will see and I hope to be there for the first game of the season. “
Strong defender, but weak shooter
Payton II even believes he has the ideal profile to win at Golden State, especially with the departure of Nico Mannion to Italy.
” I trust. With their style of play and mine, it works perfectly. Stephen Curry is going to have the ball so we have to cut, make the right choices, score the open shots, like I did. And also to continue to defend. “
If the defensive qualities of the former Wizards have already been observed in the NBA, and can allow him to exist at a high level, Payton II remains a weak shooter (27% success at 3-pts in his career), despite his exit against the Raptors in the Summer League. In the G-League, this season, he even turned to a horrendous 18% success rate… If he wants to regain a stable place in the league, he must improve when it comes to hitting from afar.
“I’ll take the right shots”, he announces. “Since I’ve been here I’ve been taking open shots, and I have to put them on. I feel good. Taking the right shots, I’ve been doing this since the start of the summer. “
