Gary Payton II and Wilt Chamberlain are about as totally different as two NBA gamers will be.
Chamberlain was probably the most dominant heart of his period. At 7’1″, he towered over most of his competition, which helped him average an NBA-record 50.4 points per game in the 1961-62 season.
Payton is a 6’2″ reserve guard most identified for being a defensive pest.
Yet he is nearing a Chamberlain report for his offensive contributions.
Payton has made his final 16 field-goal makes an attempt going again to the third quarter of Golden State’s sport in opposition to Detroit on March 20. He made his final three photographs of that sport in opposition to the Pistons. He then sat out the Warriors’ loss to the Hawks on March 21 earlier than going 8-of-8 in opposition to the Mavericks on Monday and 5-of-5 in opposition to the Nets on Wednesday.
Chamberlain holds the group report at 19 makes in a row with no miss, per NBC Sports Bay Area’s Dalton Johnson.
Little Big Man Has Plenty Left within the Tank
As somebody who depends closely on his athleticism, Payton was liable to declining this season. After all, he is 33 and has had main damage points in his profession.
Instead, Payton is having his greatest season because the 2021-22 season when the Warriors received the championship.
He’s as much as a career-high-matching 7.1 factors per sport, and this current stretch has upped his field-goal share to 56.9. Not unhealthy for a 6’2″ veteran being asked to score in the paint.
Perhaps most importantly, he’s missed just eight games this season. If he’s played seven of the last nine games, he’ll set a career high in games played.
Should the Warriors Bring Him Back Next Season?
Payton has played this season on a veteran minimum contract. I’m guessing he won’t get an offer for more than that in free agency, so as long as he wants to be back with the Warriors, they should be able to get him back with another veteran minimum deal.
Golden State has just six players guaranteed to be under contract next season. That number doesn’t include Draymond Green, who has a player option but is expected to be back.
Of the original six, two are Jimmy Butler and Moses Mooody, who are expected to miss at least half of the 2026-27 season.
This is all to say that the Warriors might look very different next year, so having a bench piece who knows the system would help.
With that said, the Warriors should embrace the challenge of finding young diamonds in the rough this offseason. Preferably these diamonds would have positional size and three-point shooting ability that Payton doesn’t have.
It appears like Payton’s return is really a 50-50 proposition.
