Despite his fractured index finger in his left hand, De’Aaron Fox showed no signs of weakness in the first quarter of Game 5, with 9 points at 3/4 to shoot. Then, in the second quarter, Gary Payton II came into play and things changed.
The Warriors are then led by six points. With the back on his back, the Sacramento star misses his three shots in a row, and Steve Kerr’s troops come back and pass in front. Its impact is enormous since, in six minutes on the floor before the break, Payton II displays a +/- of +10!
“I tried to limit his possessions”explains the 2022 champion, describing his defense on Fox, for the San Francisco Chronicle. “I wanted to force the Kings to give the ball to another player and then put pressure on him when the action was the opposite, so that he couldn’t have the ball again, that we couldn’t find. »
The player who does the dirty work
Absent in Game 3 (sick) then limited to seven minutes in the next meeting, Payton II showed in this fifth inning why the Warriors wanted to bring him back during the season, even if, injured at the time of the transfer, he did not was not ready to play. “I’m here for that, so that the other players don’t need to defend on certain ones”, he explains. “I’m here to make life difficult for them. »
The son of Gary Payton will finish this Game 5 with 8 points, 6 rebounds (including four offensive) and 2 steals in just 15 minutes. “He plays as if he were 2m10”, assures Kevon Looney, so dominant in the rebound for three games. “He defends on everyone, takes rebounds, is a threat on offense for lob passes. I’m an offensive rebounder so I love seeing Gary do that job. »
| Gary Payton II | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2016-17 | MIL | 6 | 17 | 36.4 | 11.1 | 60.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 3.3 |
| 2017-18 * | All Teams | 23 | 10 | 40.5 | 24.0 | 33.3 | 0.6 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 3.0 |
| 2017-18 * | MIL | 12 | 9 | 39.4 | 16.7 | 66.7 | 0.3 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 2.5 |
| 2017-18 * | ALL | 11 | 11 | 41.5 | 30.8 | 16.7 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 3.6 |
| 2018-19 | WAS | 3 | 5 | 62.5 | 50.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 3.7 |
| 2019-20 | WAS | 29 | 15 | 41.4 | 28.3 | 50.0 | 0.9 | 1.9 | 2.8 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 3.9 |
| 2020-21 | GOS | 10 | 4 | 76.9 | 50.0 | 75.0 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 2.5 |
| 2021-22 | GOS | 71 | 18 | 61.6 | 35.8 | 60.3 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 0.9 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 7.1 |
| 2022-23 * | All Teams | 22 | 17 | 59.4 | 50.0 | 85.7 | 1.1 | 2.1 | 3.1 | 1.4 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 4.6 |
| 2022-23 * | ORP | 15 | 17 | 58.5 | 52.9 | 100.0 | 0.7 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 1.5 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 4.1 |
| 2022-23 * | GOS | 7 | 16 | 60.7 | 44.4 | 66.7 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 4.3 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 5.7 |
| Total | 164 | 15 | 54.8 | 34.1 | 59.3 | 0.8 | 2.0 | 2.8 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 5.1 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def= defensive rebound; Tot = Total bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; Points = Points.
