At 8-10 this season, the Golden State Warriors are currently 11th in the Western Conference. Consistent wins have not been easy to come by for Steph Curry and the Warriors. They lost their last game 124-123 to the Kings on Tuesday night. Unfortunately, the Warriors had some players get injured in that narrow loss to Sacramento.
Late in the third quarter vs. the Kings, Gary Payton II went down with a non-contact injury. Something you never want to see. He quickly grabbed his right leg and winced in pain lying on the court. Payton had to be subbed out and he limped to the locker room. Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that he suffered a torn right calf and will be sidelined indefinitely. A crushing blow to a key bench piece for the Warriors.
Gary Payton will miss a large portion of the 2023-24 regular season with a torn right calf
Golden State Warriors G/F Gary Payton II has suffered a torn right calf and will be sidelined indefinitely, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. pic.twitter.com/xId2giYdb1
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 29, 2023
This season, Gary Payton II has played in 14 of Golden State’s 18 games. The 30-year-old only averages (17.3) minutes per game this season, but he’s one of their best defenders. Payton’s (1.2) steals per game is second on the team in 2023-24. Sadly, he’s going to miss significant time with this injury. It’s something he’s been used to over his last few seasons.
In 2022-23, Payton played for two different teams and still only appeared in 22 games. He missed time due to an injury. Payton did play 71 games for Golden State in 2021-22. However, in 2020-21, he played in only 10 games. Injury history is something that Payton has had to deal with and the Warriors know that. They’re going to need other players to step up and play increased minutes moving forward.
Gary Payton II (right calf) will not return, the Warriors have announced. https://t.co/sxNZh4LPfY
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 29, 2023
While Payton misses time, players like Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga will see increased playing time. Additionally, rookie Brandin Podziemski might get increased playing time if he can make the most of his opportunity. Veteran PG Chris Paul also suffered an injury in Golden State’s last game, but he’s only expected to miss one game. The Warriors will be at home tonight to face the Clippers.
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