On May 1, Beijing time, the Warriors trained to prepare for tomorrow's G1 against the Grizzlies. Warriors reporter Slater pointed out that Peyton Jr.'s defense against Morant will be the X factor in this series, and Kerr is looking forward to him.
How defensive is Peyton Jr.? The data website pointed out that in the regular season confrontation, In the 20 minutes of the regular season, Payton Jr. played against the defense of Morant and Bain, the two accumulated 17 shots, only hit 3 goals, 1 of 4 three-pointers, and accumulated 5 turnovers. On the offensive end, Payton Jr. also played the Grizzlies, and his career-high score of 22 points was obtained in a game against the Grizzlies this season. On that goal, Peyton Jr. not only scored 22 points, but also hit four three-pointers. He is indeed expected to play a very important role in this series.
Head coach Kerr spoke about Peyton Jr., saying he would be heavily aligned with Morant. "I think Payton Jr. is a player for the playoffs." In the 2021-22 regular season, Peyton Jr. played in 71 games, averaging 7.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game, shooting 61.6% from three-point range and 35.8% from the field. In the playoffs, Payton Jr. played in five games, averaging 6.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game, shooting 70.6% from the field. The three-point shooting rate is 75%.
It is worth mentioning that among all players who average more than 1 three-point shot per game, his playoff three-point shooting rate is the highest. Payton Jr. averaged 1.6 three-point shots in five playoff games, hitting 1.2. Not a lot of shots, but really accurate. He also hit a crucial three-pointer to help the Warriors seal the win. The Warriors' official social media posted a video of Payton Jr practicing three-pointers in the bottom corner today, with consecutive hits and high stability.
What do you think is the total score of this series? Can Payton Jr. limit Morant well? Welcome to leave a message to express your opinion.