Gary Payton II Might Miss Time Due To a Hamstring Issue
With a hamstring injury, Gary Payton II had to exit Tuesday night’s Warriors game against the Magic, just his second game back after missing 13 due to a calf ailment.
When Payton noticed a screen approaching and attempted to adapt, he dropped to the ground in agony and grabbed his hamstring during the third-quarter incident, which involved full-court pressure.
After the announcement of a timeout by the Warriors, Payton hobbled back to his locker room and was shortly informed that his play for that night was over.
After the game, Coach Steve Kerr expressed optimism that Gary Payton II wouldn’t be sidelined for too long, but he did not have an update on his health. Payton’s remark on X (previously Twitter) following the game seemed pessimistic, but maybe that was just reading the tea leaves.
This season, Payton is averaging 5.7 points per game when he does see the court. He is mostly a defensive specialist off the bench. With a $9.1 million player option for the next season, Payton’s salary is $8.7 million this year.
Stephen Curry, who began the game slowly but finished 12-of-20 from the floor, scored 36 points to help the Warriors defeat the Magic 121-115. Kuminga Jonathan added 19. Franz Wagner (25) and Paolo Banchero (27) served as the Magic’s leaders.
