Warriors backcourt gate: My athletic ability has indeed declined, but my defensive ability is still excellent

The Golden State Warriors conducted daily training during training camp. After the training, the team's backcourt player Gary Payton II, who had just signed back, was interviewed by the American media NBC Sports. In the interview, he also talked about his decline in athletic ability.

Peton, who is already 32 years old, admitted that his athletic ability has indeed decreased compared to the past, but he also realized that defending the opponent's ball holder is the greatest wealth he can bring to the Warriors. Peyton Jr. said: Without this ability, I might not have the opportunity to stay here anymore. This is not because I think I can always stay at my peak, because I know I am no longer the guy with outstanding athletic skills a few years ago. As I get older, my abilities in this area will definitely decline, which is very normal. But I believe in the help I can provide to the team on the defensive end. When it comes to the critical moment of the game, especially in April or even the playoffs later, I can still provide a lot of help and support to the team, and you can still count on me to defend the opponent's core players. My athletic ability may have declined, but my experience is there, and I have proved before that I have the ability to provide a lot of support for the team on the defensive end.

Peton was born in December 1992 and is 32 years old, 199cm tall and weighs 88kg. He was the undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft. In the NBA regular season last season, Payton Jr. made a total of 62 appearances for the Warriors in 82 games, averaging 15 minutes per game, with averaging 6.5 points, 3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.3 blocks, 0.6 turnovers and 1.7 fouls, shooting percentage of 57.4%, three-point shooting percentage of 32.6%, and free throw shooting percentage of 71.1%. In the playoffs, Payton Jr. made a total of 11 appearances, averaging 16.4 minutes per game, with averaging 4.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 0.9 steals, 0.5 turnovers and 1.9 fouls, with a shooting percentage of 44.7% and a three-point shooting percentage of 39.1%.

Peton Jr. returned to the Warriors with a veteran basic salary contract. Considering that the Warriors are full of talents in the backcourt position and they have introduced some powerful backcourt players this summer, we are more or less worried about Payton Jr.'s playing time in the new season. However, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has always been very acknowledging Payton's ability, and Payton has been able to get relatively stable playing time in the past few seasons. I don’t know what the situation is going on in the new season, and what performance can Payton Jr. perform when his athletic ability declines?

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