Warriors Gary Payton II says since Junior High playing defense was going to be important to him. Payton II is averaging 1.3 steals per game this season while averaging just under 17 minutes a game.
Maybe it's from his Hall of Fame genes, maybe not. Either way, defense is in Gary Payton II's DNA.
For young hoopers, there's only one goal: Get buckets. It does't matter if it's a layup, an underhand shot or a half-court heave. Just get the ball in the basket. Defense is secondary. That's not even right. Defense is non-existent.
Gary Payton II is different.
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The Warriors guard always knew defense would further his basketball dreams, even as a young teenager.
"Absolutely," Payton said Monday when asked if he always knew defense would be his ticket. "Probably before I even knew I was gonna be in a situation like this. Probably before, like in junior high, I knew that defense was going to be my calling card.
"That's why I was gonna use that to turn on my offense. I just got better and worked on it."
Sunday night in the Warriors' 94-92 win over the Utah Jazz, Payton II had two steals, one block and four defensive rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench. Steve Kerr felt his defensive-stopper gave the Warriors their two biggest plays of the night.
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With the Warriors up 75-66 in the third quarter and roughly over four minutes left in the frame, Payton jumped the passing lane two Jazz possessions in a row. He finished each steal with a layup on the other end, giving the Warriors a commanding 79-66 lead.
"I thought Gary changed the momentum of last night's game with those two steals, back-to-back steals. It kind of gave us control of the game, even though Utah came back and took the lead.
"It felt like that was kind of the key stretch of the game anyway."
Payton wasn't named to the Warriors' roster until he was given the 15th spot the morning of the season opener. The Warriors now are guaranteeing his contract for the entire season, though even he said he never felt safe, no matter how big his role grew. The 29-year-old played only 10 games last season for the Warriors.
He has played in 44 this season -- starting nine -- and he undoubtedly is one of their more important players. His 99.4 defensive rating is tied for second in the league, per NBA.com. Payton also ranks fifth in net rating, three spots behind Steph Curry, with a score of 10.1.
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The 29-year-old credits his long road in the G League as a big reason why he now is enjoying so much success on the biggest stage.
"It's been a journey, it's been fun," Gayton said. "Last couple years in the G, ya know. Been trying to continue to work and improve on my defensive end and the G has helped me tremendously.
"With the competition and being in situations where I'm in now, just being myself and trying to make plays and just read the offense."
Payton making plays on both ends of the floor has become a nightly occurrence for the Warriors, and his season continues to be one of the best stories in basketball.