Five. This is the number of times Victor Wembanyama has been countered this season. “But I must be the smallest to have countered him” laughs Gary Payton II as a journalist shares the statistic with him. No doubt since the Warriors defender measures 1m88, and he took advantage of his springs under his shoes to go and cover the 2m23 of “Wemby”. A “chasedown block” while the Frenchman was on a “coast-to-coast”, with dribbling behind his back, before seeing his shot go into the stands!
“It was an exciting moment” recognizes Steve Kerr. “The crowd loved it! It was crazy action. It definitely got the crowd into the game.”
A counter in the form of a spark
At that point in the match, the Spurs were in front (46-41) and this action effectively woke up the public and especially the Warriors since the Spurs only scored nine points in eight minutes, while Golden State took the lead Match.
“It’s just energy and effort” explains Gary Payton II. “I tried to get back on defense and protect the rim. He was on his Eurostep, and I saw that he wasn’t going to make the pass. I tried to block him before he shot.”
For Gary Payton II, we had to try “ to create a spark.” “After this action, we got going, and we increased our intensity on defense. We started making stops, running, and doing what we know how to do on offense. »
| Gary Payton II | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 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 * | LAL | 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 | W.A.S. | 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 | W.A.S. | 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 * | POR | 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 |
| 2023-24 | GOS | 12 | 17 | 45.3 | 34.6 | 62.5 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 6.0 |
| Total | 176 | 15 | 53.9 | 34.1 | 59.6 | 0.9 | 2.0 | 2.9 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 5.2 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
