Gary Payton II goes back into action

ORLANDO, Fla. ⁠- The last two and a half weeks have been frustrating for Gary Payton II, who came out with a knee injury.

But on Tuesday, Payton could not help but laugh as he sat in a chair near the baseline Amway Center with ice on both knees after the Warriors shootaround.

“We’re back,” he said. “Just ready to go.”

Payton laughed when asked what it means to finally see his name on the Warriors’ injury list. It is not clear if his minutes are limited.

“If you need me, you have me,” he said.

The Stephen Curry-less Warriors will surely take him on his offer in their game against the Orlando Magic.

Payton possesses a versatile skill set and is the type of player who can make the game easier for his teammates. He is a threat on defense and quickly pushing the pace of sales. His 102 defensive rating is second to only Andre Iguodala (95.6) and just a hair better than Draymond Green (102.2).

“Gary gives us a lot of energy,” coach Steve Kerr said. “He obviously gives us great defense and his ability to shoot in the transition and in different ways than our other people, it gives us a slightly different look. So hopefully that’s what we get.”

Before injuring his knee on March 3 in a game against the Dallas Mavericks, Payton earned five straight starts and helped Golden State open without Green, who missed two months with a back injury. In those games, Payton averaged 11 points on 57.5% shooting, 2.6 rebounds and 2.4 steals.

Overall, Payton is shooting 61.2% of the field this season and averages 7.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals this season.

Payton said the hardest part of his neck pain in the last eight games was “just watching” and could not help his teammates.

“It was just frustrating,” he said.

If there is any consolation, however, Payton said he was able to spot some of the bankers’ Warriors shortcomings. He said he was excited to “just come back here and try to clean up what we needed to clean up the last few weeks.

“And I was waiting and wanted to come back, so it feels good tonight,” he continued.

The Warriors – who have played shorthanded all season, with their biggest stars missing significant time due to injuries – are looking for Payton to deliver a spark from the bench and rely on his hard defense.

In return, Payton plans to do what he normally does.

“Brings defensive energy,” said Payton, whose defensive ability earned him last place on the Golden State roster from training camp. “We still have playmakers on the floor who can play and create for us, so just adapt to my teammates and adapt to the lineup that we came out of there and finish it.”

Look for a faster start

Kerr was unhappy with the wild end to the Warriors’ loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday, which featured a sequence of “bizarre” fouls.

But he was also not too thrilled with his team’s efforts out the doors.

Therefore, Kerr stresses the importance of the game plan from the outset.

“I just think gameplay discipline is the biggest thing,” he said. “We need to be called and what the strategy is and what we are trying to achieve defensively, and that helps us get off to a better start and build a little bit of confidence. We can go from there.”