The Warriors officially announced that guard Gary Payton II suffered a fractured left elbow and was absent for at least 3-5 weeks. It means that the Warriors and Grizzlies series, he will definitely not be able to catch up. After losing Payton Jr., the Warriors' game against the Grizzlies will be unusually tough. One would ask, wouldn't the Warriors play without a player who averaged 7 points per game in the playoffs? The problem is far from simple.
Payton Jr. is arguably an important discovery for the Warriors this season. Through his own efforts, Peyton Jr. inherited the excellent defensive mantle of his father's glove Peyton and became the best candidate for restricting the opposing outside arrow figures on the defensive end. In addition, Payton Jr.'s offense is very efficient, shooting more than 70% of the way so far in the playoffs and more than 75% of the three-point shooting rate.
On top of that, under Peyton Jr.'s defence, Morant has barely scored many goals in athletic warfare. Although the sample is small, it can at least show that Peyton Jr. is the best person to limit Morant. Now that Payton Jr. is injured, no Warriors can face Morant, which is a headache for the coaching staff.