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What Happened to Gary Payton II? Warriors Star Heads to Locker Room vs Rockets NBA Cup Game

Originally posted on EssentiallySports | By Caroline John | Last updated Nov 27, 2025 8:22 AM ET

The last thing the weary Warriors need is another injury. But in a crucial game deciding their NBA Cup contention, they suffered a setback. Gary Payton II had to abruptly leave before the second quarter ended. He looked in bad shape while doing so too. The Warriors were in the lead at that time. And if they win the game, they secure their spot in the NBA Cup Knockout rounds. It appears that his absence could change the tide of the game.

Gary Payton II apparently went for a rebound but landed wrong. He limped to the locker room and was ruled out for the rest of the game. He played for five minutes and had only a rebound and assist each.

The initial report says he’s sprained his left ankle. Further evaluation will reveal the severity of it and if the Sonics legend’s son would miss further games.

He didn’t return for the second half. Will Richard subbed him. The Rockets managed to steal the lead by the end of the third quarter. But the Dubs are already catching up in the fourth.

It’s a sprained left ankle for Gary Payton II, per Warriors. Out for the game. https://t.co/C6nDm5X6LN

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) November 27, 2025

It’s almost similar to what happened to Gradey Dick simultaneously during the Raptors vs Pacers game tonight. Gradey went for a rebound and fell and hit his head though. Payton hurt his foot.

Richard, who had started the game, was back and saw an uptick in minutes. He’s gone over 25 minutes and scored 16 points so far. But to salvage their season, the Dubs are going to need Payton back.

The opinion on Jonathan Kuminga has changed

The Warriors barely managed to prevent a drop below .500 by beating the Utah Jazz this week. After back-to-back road losses, Steve Kerr had to make radical changes to the rotation. That involved benching Jonathan Kuminga, and putting Gary Payton II and Will Richard in the starting lineup.

Payton’s averaged a meagre 10.8 minutes per game off the bench this season. When Draymond Green was sidelined for a sprained foot too, he subbed in. Green’s back and not even on restricted minutes. Because the Warriors can’t afford to lose a single player.

Amid the Kuminga stalemate this offseason, it raised a few brows when Payton was signed. He didn’t have impressive numbers last season – averaged 6.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 62 games in 2024-25. So keeping him almost didn’t make sense.

Kerr relies heavily on Payton to get the rebounds more than his inefficient scoring. Obviously, he tried too hard to hustle for a rebound and got hurt. Ironically, fans are sympathetic for him and hoping that he does return to the floor sooner.

This article first appeared on EssentiallySports and was syndicated with permission.

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