There's been a number of bizarre rotation decisions that have left Golden State Warriors fans baffled so far this season, but nothing may have been more peculiar than the minutes of Gary Payton II in the first-half of Thursday night's game against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Heading into an important game against the second-ranked team in the Western Conference, you would have thought Payton would be a tailor-made matchup for Ja Morant. Yet instead, Steve Kerr's strange use of the defensive-minded guard truly reflected a first-half in which everything went wrong for the Warriors as they found themselves down 69-38.
Steve Kerr may have realized the limitations of Gary Payton II
Payton has become a major offensive limitation through the first 26 games, having shot 16.1% from 3-point range as opposing defenses continue to sag off the 6'2" guard. As a result, Golden State have to ensure they're getting the requisite impact from Payton on the defensive end, otherwise he becomes a legitimate waste to have on the court.
Instead of giving Payton the opportunity to go and harass Morant, his nearly five first-half minutes came almost exclusively with the Grizzlies star off the bench. In the first-quarter Kerr subbed Payton in a minute after Morant had subbed out, then was subbed out in the final minute of the period before Morant re-entered to start the second.
With just over six minutes remaining in the half, Payton subbed back in at the exact point Morant subbed out. It was far from the defining factor in an embarrassing first-half, but the strange use of the 32-year-old certainly summed up a half where Golden State were clearly out of sync. If Payton wasn't going to be utilized to guard Morant, why exactly was he on the floor at all?
Kerr eventually realized that after it was way too late in the second-half, with Payton benched for the remainder of the game even during garbage time in the fourth. Perhaps it's a sign that Payton will be out of the rotation completely moving forward -- at the very least it's been trending that way as his offensive limitations before more and more obvious.
If Payton is no longer a rotation player for Kerr and the Warriors, then his future at the franchise may be on borrowed time. His $9.1 million expiring contract looks an obvious deal for Golden State to utilize as part of a trade, potentially in combination with a young player or two and future draft assets.
Payton's often been a fan-favorite throughout his two different stints with the Warriors over the last few years, but Thursday's game was another reminder that the franchise is no longer able to get the best out of the 2022 NBA champion.
