Warriors swingman Gary Payton II will miss at least one more week due to his right calf strain, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Golden State announced that Payton is “making good progress” from the injury and he will be reevaluated next week, per Slater.
Payton, 31, is averaging 5.9 PPG, 3.1 RPG and 1.2 SPG in 14 games (17.3 MPG) thus far in 2023/24. He sustained the injury on November 28 against the Kings.
Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski and Jonathan Kuminga figure to receive more minutes with the defensive stalwart sidelined, though all three players have seen their playing time fluctuate to this point.
Payton, who helped the Warriors win a championship in 2022, is making $8.72MM this season and holds a $9.13MM player option for ’24/25.
Golden State has had an uneven start to the ’23/24 season, currently sitting with a 10-11 record, good for the No. 11 seed in the Western Conference. That said, it’s obviously early, and the Warriors are only two games back of the current No. 6 seed, Sacramento.
They have to make sure he’s right. The hamstring and the calf will rear its ugly head quick if not managed properly.
It’s weird so many calf strains in sports. Especially basketball. I think it’s lack of arch support. I have to use a couple inserts in my hoop shoes or else I can’t run, the calf tightens up.
I think without Gary Payton the Warriors definitely are missing that lockdown guy defensively, Plus a lob threat on the other end.
But I really came here to ask whoever cares to answer, do you think the Warriors make an early trade to mix things up? Would somebody want Klay Thompson’s expiring contract and the Warriors bring back another shooter, or big man or?
Thoughts ?
Maybe a decent center, if there is one out there!
Define decent Center.