The veteran guard continues his road to recovery from a grade 2 left hamstring strain

After sustaining a left hamstring strain on January 2nd during a game versus the Orlando Magic, Gary Payton II has been cleared for light individual workouts, per a team announcement made on January 22nd. Payton will be re-evaluated in two weeks, and will hopefully bring shooting and veteran presence to the court once fully recovered.

This hamstring strain is Payton’s second injury this season, the first being a calf injury that kept him out for most of December. In 16 games played this season, Payton has averaged 5.4 points and 3 rebounds. Deep on the bench, Payton is more of a veteran presence than an active member of the core, but he can step up at times. For example, on October 29th, Payton scored 15 rebounds and grabbed three steals in a Warriors win against the Houston Rockets.When he’s on fire, he’s on fire, and if there’s one thing Payton can do, it’s defense. In his own words, “it’s just energy and effort.”

Hopefully, after fully recovering, Payton will be able to continue contributing meaningful scoring and defense to the Warriors’ bench, especially with veteran guard Chris Paul still out with a left hand injury.

“‘You motherf***ers need to go win a basketball game!’” he said, envisioning Milojevic’s message.

There’s no right or wrong way for the Dubs to get back to the 82-game grind, but rest assured they’ll try to do so with the “joyful energy” the 46-year-old pride of Serbia brought to the fore every day.

Golden State will have to manage that unenviable task without both Moses Moody and Gary Payton II, who remain sidelined due to hamstring and calf strains, respectively. In an update on their status, the Warriors announced that while both players are making “good progress” and have been “cleared to begin light individual on-court workouts,” neither is quite yet ready to take the court.