Gary Payton II takes pride in defensive assignment after holding veteran CJ McCollum 2-8 in Warriors win
Gary Payton II continues to solidify his place as one of the league's top defensive players. The 6-foot-3 Golden State Warriors veteran is known for his work ethic and the intensity with which he approaches every game.
On Tuesday, Payton II was once again a problem for the opposition, with the guard putting in an energizing display to frustrate the New Orleans Pelicans' CJ McCollum.
After the game, Zena Keita, who previously covered the Warriors for NBA Sports Bay Area, revealed that Payton II was unconcerned with his offensive numbers and was more interested in how his counterpart CJ McCollum finished.
"What’d CJ have? Oh, 2-8 FG? Cool, cool," said Payton II to Keita following the game.
Keita posted that she approached Gary Payton II after the game to show him the statistics on the night but he waived her off. The Warriors guard was proud of how he handled Pelicans sharpshooter CJ McCollum and was entirely focused on his defensive performance.
Along with her post on X, Keita shared a video of Payton II pestering McCollum during an inbound play.
McCollum completed the game with just five points on 2-of-8 shooting. He made just one of his four 3-point shots. The shooting guard, who averaged 23.3 points per game prior to Tuesday's game, had a disappointing night. McCollum averaged 20.0 points in 66 games last season.
With Golden State missing superstar Steph Curry for Tuesday's game, it was always going to be a tough game. However, the Warriors won 124-106, improving their season record to 3-1.
Gary Payton II was a star player at Oregon State and was named the PAC-12 Defensive Player of the Year and voted to the PAC-12 All-Defensive Team in 2015 and 2016. He was also the G League Defensive Player of the Year 2021.
Payton II's sound defense for the Warriors against the Boston Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals helped the franchise to their seventh NBA title.
Gary Payton II helps Warriors rally against New Orleans Pelicans to secure third win of 2024-25 season
Steve Kerr would have been frustrated to see his team trailing 31-14 after the first quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday. The Pelicans went on a 13-0 run to close out the first and, at one point of the game, led by as many as 20 points.
Defensive specialist Gary Payton II helped spark a second-half comeback with some strong defense. The veteran's energy levels seemed to carry over to his teammates, who went on to outscore the Pelicans 40-28 in the third quarter and 37-27 in the fourth quarter.
A spirited second-half performance earned the Warriors a 124-106 win to secure their third win of the season.
Buddy Hield was Golden State's standout player, scoring team-high 28 points, including seven 3-pointers.