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Warriors have unlocked a monster in Gary Payton II, whose high-flying highlights are becoming must-see TV

Published

2 years ago

November 11, 2021

Through brief stints with five teams and parts of five seasons in the G League, Gary Payton II has been trying to find a steady job in the NBA for the last half-decade. He’s got one now. The son of NBA Hall of Famer Gary Payton has gone from the 15th rung on the Golden State Warriors‘ roster to a walking highlight factory and an integral part of arguably the best team in the league.

Payton’s defense doesn’t need any advertisement. If you’ve watched even a little bit of his work, you know. He must be a nightmare to go against. But what’s kept him outside the league all these years has been his lacking offense. He shot just 27 percent from 3 in his G League career, but he’s an almost cartoonish-level athlete that has been unlocked by the Warriors’ movement and spacing to produce nightly highlights like these two alley-oops Wednesday night vs. Minnesota.

That second one was a designed play for Payton. The Warriors have run it several times since discovering the weapon that Payton can be as a finisher. Basically, Payton comes up to set a ball screen for Steph Curry, but it’s only for appearances. Everyone knows the eyes of both defenders — Steph’s and Payton’s — are going to go with Curry, which leaves Payton the split second he needs to roll straight down an open lane for a backdoor lob.

Anthony Slater of The Athletic outlined it well here:

There’s a crucial element to pay attention to on these actions: Nemanja Bjelica is standing in the same place in every one of them, spacing the floor. Something the Warriors have lacked over the years is a shooting big man, and Bjelica, who entered Wednesday night hitting 58 percent of his 3-pointers, gives them that.

If Kevon Looney was in the game, these plays for Payton would be much harder to run because defenders don’t have to vacate the paint to defend his shot. Bjelica forces bigs out of the lane, clearing the runway for a high-flyer like Payton to take off to the rim.

Golden State’s collective floor spacing and ball and player movement have been perfect for Payton. His shooting isn’t needed, but with all the attention Curry and Jordan Poole get both with and without the ball, and with Bjelica often taking rim protectors away from the paint, Payton is free to cut to the rim, and he has a great instinct for doing just that. Watch here as Bjelica spaces to the wing and Poole drags Daniel Theis out of the restricted area:

With plays like this, the Warriors are scoring 1.62 points per possession when Payton shoots (or dunks, more accurately) off a cut, per Synergy. Statistically speaking, that is the most efficient play in the Warriors’ arsenal; far ahead of Curry off screens and Curry in isolation. Obviously, those play types aren’t created equal, but you get the point.

There is no better team for a willing and good cutter to play for than the Warriors with all the eyes that get sidetracked by Curry, but not everyone is a willing and good cutter, They are, in fact, pretty rare. Payton and the Warriors are a perfect fit in the half-court and certainly in transition, where the Warriors play with great pace with a collective willingness to pass the ball ahead. Get Payton in the open floor, and this is how it ends:

These plays have made Payton an immediate fan favorite at the Chase Center and must-see TV around the league. His teammates come out of their seats, along with everyone in the crowd, the second he takes to flight. But Payton is proving to be far more than just a SportsCenter athlete. His impact is undeniable, on both ends. Look at his three previous games entering Wednesday night:

Entering play on Wednesday, Payton has played more than 10 minutes in five games. The Warriors are 5-0 in those games with an average margin of victory better than 20 points, with Payton averaging just under 11 points and better than two steals on 73-40-100 shooting splits.

They say luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Over five seasons playing in the NBA’s minor league, Payton stayed ready for his opportunity. Now that he’s gotten it, after five organizations had him and let him go, it’s the Warriors looking like the lucky ones.

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Analyst Says Joel Embiid Should Focus On 1 Team Ahead Of 2024 Olympics

Published

5 mins ago

September 26, 2023

nigemord@gmail.com

(Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid has a little less than two weeks to make up his mind about playing for France in the upcoming Olympics.

The French set an October 10th deadline for the star big man, who could also choose to play for Cameroon or the United States.

However, NBA analyst Justin Termine believes Embiid shouldn’t even consider playing for any of those teams next summer, and he should focus solely on the Philadelphia 76ers instead (via SiriusXM NBA Radio).

“[Joel Embiid] should say, I’m not playing for anybody, I’m focusing on the 76ers”.@TermineRadio tells @SamMitchellNBA why Philadelphia’s big man shouldn’t play in the 2024 Olympics. pic.twitter.com/Vr7zEaqrS8
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) September 26, 2023

Termine explained that Embiid isn’t going to be able to hold up for an entire season after playing in the Olympics, saying that he’s got the body of a 33-year-old player despite being 29 years old, and pointing out the fact that he’s never played 70 games in a season.

He stated that the Sixers organization, Daryl Morey, and everybody around him should be quite emphatic about this, urging him to stay focused on his NBA career.

Termine also pointed out that Embiid is often worn out and far from his best come playoff time, which is also a fact.

Truth be told, Embiid would be a prime addition to every team’s roster, even if the French team might not need him as much as Cameroon or Team USA.

The reigning MVP could be replaced by Rudy Gobert or Victor Wembanyama, but there’s simply no way to fill in for him in Philadelphia.

Everybody wants to play in the Olympics, but Embiid’s injury history and proneness could force him to make an uncomfortable decision.

The post Analyst Says Joel Embiid Should Focus On 1 Team Ahead Of 2024 Olympics appeared first on The Cold Wire.

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Fans React To Viral Video Of Young Christian McCaffrey

Published

9 mins ago

September 26, 2023

nigemord@gmail.com

(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

The San Francisco 49ers got one of the most explosive players on Earth last season.

Just when everybody thought he was unavailable — or at least not gettable at a reasonable price — GM John Lynch traded for Christian McCaffrey, perhaps the best running back in the game.

Injuries and the Carolina Panthers had held McCaffrey back in the early stages of his career, but his physical talent and skills were just too big to overlook in this potential transaction.

As a matter of fact, it’s more than evident that McCaffrey was born to dominate on Sundays, as it showed in a hilarious and adorable clip of a young McCaffrey juking out mascots, scoring a touchdown, and rocking an epic celebration.

Needless to say, plenty of fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts on this now-viral clip.

Who caught that football? I'll give you 100k rn
— bama.algo (@Algo_bama) September 25, 2023

Throwback moments like these are always a fun reminder of the lighter side of sports! celebration was awesome
— Shahkar Kazmi (@shahkar_kazmi) September 25, 2023
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This is so cute. I love it
— Freddie Smith (@FreddieSmithIII) September 25, 2023

Not the razzle dazzle
— westsidephilosophy (@westsidephilos1) September 25, 2023

Nothing changed
— E (@e01_9) September 25, 2023

Even at a young age, you could see his lateral quickness and how he knew to make the most of his center of gravity.

He wasn’t the biggest guy on the field by any means, but he was as sneaky, mobile, and elusive as he is nowadays.

On top of that, he might have the best hands in all of the league for players at his position, which is why he’s also efficient lining up wide.

The Niners have so many versatile weapons that Kyle Shanahan can pretty much come up with anything he wants on offense, and trading for McCaffrey might’ve been reason enough for Lynch to get that contract extension.

The post Fans React To Viral Video Of Young Christian McCaffrey appeared first on The Cold Wire.

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Chandler Jones Posts Disturbing Messages On Social Media

Published

13 mins ago

September 26, 2023

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(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

There had been a lot of secrecy and uncertainty regarding Las Vegas Raiders star Chandler Jones.

He has been nowhere to be found thus far, not being in attendance at training camp, and has been inactive to start the season.

That’s why the star pass rusher took to Twitter to explain to the fans what’s been going on, and even though it raised more questions than answers, at least we got some clarity on this matter.

First day out but I’m still aligned. pic.twitter.com/AgxZWP7U9e
— ♛Chandler Jones (@chanjones55) September 26, 2023

Jones claims that he was taken to the hospital by firemen, adding that he was injected with an unknown substance.

He believes that happened due to concerns about his recent social media activity, adding that he tried to reach out to the team’s GM six or seven times and even left him some voice mails but they all went unanswered.

There have been no official updates about the star DE’s condition, outside of him being placed on the non-football injury list for the third straight game of the season.

There has been plenty of speculation about what may or may not be going on with the Raiders star, but he claims that he hasn’t even been allowed to enter the team’s facility.

So far, HC Josh McDaniels hasn’t talked about this matter, stating that it was a private situation and the team would deal with it as such.

As of now, it doesn’t seem like we’ll ever see Chandler Jones suiting up for the Raiders again, and we can only hope he’s doing well or getting the help he needs right now.

The post Chandler Jones Posts Disturbing Messages On Social Media appeared first on The Cold Wire.

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