“I’m not as offensively gifted as my dad, so I get steals on defense, which gets my offense going!”: Warriors’ Gary Payton II shines yet again, talks about the Slam Dunk Contest, playing the small-ball 5

Warriors’ Gary Payton II shares his basketball discussions with his father, playing the small-man 5, and possible Dunk Contest entry

The Golden State Warriors are atop the league, yet again. It took over two years for us to find our stride, but now, we’re back at the top of the charts, with an impressive 8-1 record to show for it. The Warriors took down the Rockets 120-107 tonight, to improve to a 4-1 record on their eight-game homestand. They face Trae Young and the Hawks tomorrow, on the tail end of a back-to-back.

Jordan Poole continued to impress, as he scored 25 points and dished 5 assists. Stephen Curry played very limited minutes, scoring 20 points and recording 3 steals while doing so. Gary Payton II continued to win hearts, as he scored 10 points off the bench, recording 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals. He obviously added a few more plays to his highlight reels.

These Gary Payton II dunks are getting out of control 😳 pic.twitter.com/fzMfDTcE99

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 8, 2021

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Gary Payton II shares basketball discussions with his father, Gary Payton

Being the son of an NBA legend is never easy. You have high expectations to live up to, which causes a lot of pressure. GPII has been in 6 teams in 5 year NBA career. However, it seems like he’s finally found a place for himself with the Dubs. He’s been a delight for all Warriors fans, and has been excellent off the bench.

After the game, Payton II was asked about conversations with his dad, who was in attendance tonight. He replied and said,

GP2 on talking defense with his dad: “To be honest, we really don’t talk about defense…I wasn’t offensively gifted like he was, so I had to do it on the defensive end. I made sure I was great at defense, and it’s led to steals dunks, and that’s how I got my offense going.”

— Mark Haynes (@markhaynesnba) November 8, 2021

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GP2 fits right into the Warriors small ball system, as he can space the floor, as well as play the 5 when needed. Talking about the same, he said,

GP2 on his lob play and if he’s used to playing the small-ball 5: “I’ve been the 5 man guarding up against big 5s (in the G League). Whatever I can do, play the dunker, set screens… whatever we need.”

— Joe Viray (@JoeVirayNBA) November 8, 2021

GP2 bows out of the Slam Dunk Contest

After seeing all the highlight plays and dunks from Gary Payton II, many were considering him to be a shoo-in for the slam dunk contest. However, the Warriors guard has decided to gracefully bow out. Talking about the same, he said he lacked the creativity like the other guys. He claims to only dunk the way he can in-game.

Hard pass for GPII in the dunk contest😂 pic.twitter.com/EgzpGEB91P

— Jason Dumas (@JDumasReports) November 8, 2021

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The way Payton has been doing, he has impressed everyone, including Joe Lacob. We all hope he can carry on with his form for the season and ahead.