If you’re looking for reasons why the Golden State Warriors may return to their championship best next season, the impact of Gary Payton II may not even make the top handful.
Yet despite Payton’s presence as a role player in the Warrior rotation, there’s little doubt the 30-year-old will be a key asset to Steve Kerr in re-establishing the sort of Golden State-style that was missing for large portions of 2022-23.