Payton learns in recovery
During long flights this season, Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II has commiserated with teammate Stephen Curry about the struggles of going back to school as an adult.
Between practices, shootarounds, games and photo shoots, the two have worked toward finishing their college degrees. Curry graduated from Davidson on Sunday with a bachelor’s in sociology. Meanwhile, Payton still must complete some coursework to earn his degree in human development and family studies next month from Oregon State.
As he came to terms with the recent news that he would miss extended time with a broken left elbow, Payton took
some comfort in the fact that he could have more time for papers and research projects. That has hardly made it any easier for him, though, to watch the playoffs from the sideline.
Two weeks ago, Payton was starting high-stakes games for a title contender. Now, in the wake of a Dillon Brooks play many have called “dirty,” the left-handed Payton must learn to do such daily tasks as brushing his teeth and putting on lotion with his right hand.
“It can be frustrating/annoying at times, especially at games,” Payton said Sunday in his first public comments since the injury. “I’m itching to get back out there, just to be another piece to the puzzle.
“As soon as we get everyone back, the sky’s the limit.”
Though the Warriors have yet to rule out Payton for the upcoming Western Conference finals, head coach Steve Kerr called it a “long shot” that Payton would be available at any point in the series.
This is quite a blow for a team that depended on Payton to defend high-scoring guards and rebound at a high rate. Since earning the final spot on the Warriors’ 15-man roster, he has become an avatar for perseverance — the type of role player whose all-out hustle allowed him to transform himself from G Leaguer to key NBA rotation piece in a matter of months.
Without him in the West semifinals against the Grizzlies, Golden State struggled to make life difficult on Memphis’ point guards. Payton’s absence also forced the Warriors to dip deeper into their bench and play Damion Lee significant minutes. Though he was a serviceable back-end rotation player in the regular season, Lee wasn’t expected to have an extended postseason run.
To keep Payton in good spirits, teammates and coaches have checked in on him often in recent days. In case he ever doubted how the organization feels about him, he needed only to hear the team’s sound bites after Game 2 of the West semifinals.
Kerr said Brooks “broke the code” when he clubbed an airborne Payton in the head early in the first quarter. Curry lauded Payton’s fortitude and said, “When you see him in pain like that, it’s a tough situation.”
“It means everything,” Payton said Sunday of teammates’ support. “We have good guys in there, good human beings who actually care about one another. Just the group of guys we have in there, it’s just amazing.”
Not one for controversy, Payton downplayed the play that got him injured, calling it an “NBA playoff foul” that “is what it is.” Brooks reached out to him after Game 2, and Payton said there’s “no bad blood.”
Regardless of Payton’s feelings on the matter, his injury has served as a rallying point for his team. Payton had come to embody the principles the Warriors value most: hard work, modesty, loyalty. When teammates saw him on the sideline in a huge brace, they they strengthened their resolve to win a title — not just for themselves or the fan base, but for Payton specifically.
He feels that sentiment daily. As his teammates prepare for Game 1 of the West finals, Payton toils through conditioning drills in the hope that somehow, some way, he can help the Warriors to a title by doing more than just cheering from the bench.
As for his newfound free time? Much of that is spent studying. When Payton left Oregon State a semester early in 2016 to prepare for the NBA draft, he promised his mother, Monique, that he would still get his degree.
“Monique wants the paper,” Payton said, “so I’m going to get her the paper.”