Warriors still miss Gary Payton II after discovering his true NBA value
The Golden State Warriors may have thought they were ready to move on from Gary Payton II after signing Kelly Oubre Jr. in the offseason, but the young guard has quickly shown that he still has some ways to go before he can truly replace what the veteran brings to the table.
Since coming over from the Suns, Oubre has been a revelation for the Warriors, providing them with much-needed scoring and athleticism on the wing. However, he’s still not the all-around player that Payton is, and the team has been feeling his absence lately.
Without Payton, the Warriors have lacked a true playmaker and secondary ball-handler, forcing Stephen Curry to shoulder even more of the offensive load. Additionally, Payton’s defensive prowess and ability to switch onto any guard or wing assignment has been sorely missed, as the team has struggled to slow down opposing backcourts.
It’s still early in the season, but the Warriors have already started to realize that they may have made a mistake in letting Payton go. They’ll have to hope that Oubre can continue to develop and eventually fill the void that Payton has left behind.