SAN FRANCISCO — Gary Payton II will return from his calf strain for the Warriors’ game against the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night, coach Steve Kerr said.
Payton has been out since Nov. 28 when he strained his right calf mid-way through the Warriors’ loss to the Sacramento Kings. The 31-year-old has been out for 17 of the Warriors’ 31 games this year with numerous injuries.
The Warriors could use Payton’s stellar on-ball defense, especially against MVP hopeful Luka Doncic. Golden State’s defense as a whole has a middling 115.7 defensive rating with Draymond Green serving an indefinite suspension and Payton sidelined for the majority of the year.
“Our defense has not been great lately. We’ve got a lot of issues in terms of staying in our shell,” Kerr said. “Too many holes in the shell on the weak side, back cuts, things like that. Gary is a great defender, good to have him back and we’ll see how to fit him in and who is available.”
Payton started practicing with the team this week and will be on an undetermined minutes restriction on Saturday. His return crunches even more a rotation that’s been operating with nine or ten players, even with Payton and Green out because of the bench depth. Brandin Podziemski, Jonathan Kuminga and Trayce Jackson-Davis have forced their way into regular rotation roles as they’ve added much-needed athleticism and force to some of the lineups.
To keep the rotation at nine, Moses Moody has been the rotation casualty — though he was tapped for extended minutes as one of the only bright spots in a loss to the Miami Heat on Thursday. Other players may see fewer minutes with Payton’s return, but the Warriors need Payton’s game-changing defense. Payton is averaging 5.9 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.