On the morning of May 5, Beijing time, according to the official release of the Golden State Warriors, in yesterday's game, gary Payton Jr., who was accidentally injured, confirmed after MRI testing that his left elbow was fractured, and there was a slight ligament strain, and he will need at least 3 to 5 weeks of recovery, which is like a thunderbolt for the Warriors who aspire to win the championship.
Gary Payton, 29, has been in turmoil for the first half of his career, and although his father, Payton Sr., is a well-known figure in NBA history, these have not helped Payton Jr. to better establish himself in the league. When he joined the Warriors last season, Payton Jr. was only used as a firefighter, and only made 10 substitution appearances throughout the season, averaging only 2.5 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game, and in the limited playing time, only 0.6 steals per game was still eye-catching.
In the new season, under Cole's tutelage, Gary Payton is more aware of his own positioning, he follows his father's characteristics, to defend as his main job, which also won him more playing time, not only played 71 regular season games throughout the season, but also served as the team's starting point 16 times. The average number per game has also come to 7.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals, although it still looks like there is a huge gap with those superstars, but to know that Payton can only get about 17 minutes of playing time per game, he only needs to provide the team with the required ability after the game, and he can successfully complete the task assigned to him by the head coach.
However, all this changed in the second game of the Warriors and Grizzlies series, Payton Jr. was fiercely slapped down from behind by Grizzlies player Dillon in the process of a counterattack, the whole process of Little Payton lost his balance in the air, fell heavily to the ground, his left elbow was fractured due to the huge impact, facing the double gun of Morland and Bain, Payton Jr. was originally the most important defensive chip in Kerr's hand, but his accidental injury also added more uncertainty to this series.
According to official estimates, Peyton Jr. also needs a month or so to recover at the earliest, if the Golden State Warriors can re-enter the Finals, then Peyton Jr. has a chance to return to the game, but in the next game, the Warriors will first face the Grizzlies led by Morant, and then may face the Suns led by Paul and Booker, or the Lone Rangers led by Doncic, every team has the existence of super guards, without the blessing of Peyton Jr., I am afraid that the Warriors want to attack the final championship, it will only become more difficult.