SAN FRANCISCO -- Gary Payton II before Game 1 of the NBA Finals was made available on the Warriors' injury report for the first time since sustaining a fractured elbow against the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals one month ago.
For all 48 minutes of the Warriors' 120-108 loss to the Boston Celtics on Thursday night, though, Payton was stuck to the bench with his elbow wrapped up. Steve Kerr on Saturday after Warriors practice at Chase Center said he would have felt comfortable playing Payton in special circumstances like a late-game stop on defense. But he and the training staff felt Payton wasn't ready for significant minutes quite yet.
There still is no guarantee he'll be on the court come Sunday night in Game 2 of the Finals. However, he certainly is trending in the right direction.
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The majority of practice featured Payton watching his Warriors teammates go through drills while trying his hand at his own magic trick of getting the ball to bounce from one side of the floor and land perfectly on the rack. He even pulled it off to perfection a few times.
When the curtains first opened for the media to watch practice, Payton did go through different drills attacking the hoop, finishing with his right and left hand -- with more of an emphasis on his right. There was one time that he did let it fire from deep, and he didn't exactly look like a player trying to return from a fractured elbow to his shooting arm.
Take a look for yourself.
"I'm available, ready to go, just waiting on the call," Payton said after Saturday's practice.
When asked if he's currently dealing with discomfort, the 29-year-old had one word for reporters: "Nope."
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Even though Payton's known more for being a defensive specialist, his injury being to his shooting arm complicates things. Yes, his main responsibility would be pestering Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and other Celtics scorers like Derrick White.
Payton himself has shown he isn't scared to launch when open, which he has proven when healthy this postseason. In his first six playoff games before going down to injury, Payton was 16-for-22 from the field and 6-for-8 on 3-pointers.
As his shot has progressed during his rehab, has Payton dealt with any bumps or changes to his mechanics? Not according to the man himself.
"No, same as it always was," Payton said. "Just been soreness and stuff for the last few weeks. But like I said, we got a couple more games, so I'll figure it out. I'm ready to go."
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Those last three words will be huge if Kerr and Golden State's training staff agrees with Payton. He was a plus-21 in the playoffs prior to his injury, and consistently has been a difference-maker this season.
Let's see if the same can be said in the Finals.
