“It’ll Be Scary Down The Line”: Gary Payton II on Warriors Emerging as Title Contenders With Jimmy Butler

Jalen Green #4 of the Houston Rockets dribbles the ball against Gary Payton II #0 of the Golden State Warriors (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)

It's not an exaggeration to say the Golden State Warriors are an elite team with Jimmy Butler in the fold.

The Warriors are 9-2 since acquiring Butler — they have just one loss with him in the lineup — which is the third-best record in the NBA since Feb. 8. Golden State is now sixth in the Western Conference less than a month after they were one game below .500 at 25-26.

Gary Payton II, an NBA champion who is in his fifth season with the Warriors, details why Butler is such a great fit for Golden State and says he would "love" to get more minutes with the six-time All-Star on the floor.

 “It's been great, what he brings to the first unit,” said Payton II in a one-on-one interview with RG on behalf of his investment with SUPLMNT. “It's a little pop, a little aggressiveness, and his demand on the court is incredible. His IQ for the ball, he's back there looking like a little Deion [Sanders] in our defense, doing what he does, being in the right spot at the right time and just making plays.”

The Warriors are looking to bounce back and hopefully compete for a championship this season just a year after missing the playoffs with a 46-36 record. Golden State was eliminated in the play-in tournament by the Sacramento Kings last season.

Golden State has been able to look like a formidable contender without their young star Jonathan Kuminga in the lineup, who has been sidelined for the past two months due to an ankle injury.

 “If we can continue to do what we're doing now — Jonathan's not even playing right now — once Jonathan gets back into the mix, and we become full strength again, it might be a little scary down the line,” said Payton II.

The Warriors rank third in offensive rating and second in defensive rating since Butler's acquisition. Adding Kuminga back into the mix — he's averaging 16.8 points per game, second-best mark on the team — should only make the Warriors even better heading into the playoffs. Kuminga could be returning this Saturday against the Detroit Pistons.

When asked if the Warriors can emerge as a “title contender” with Kuminga back in the fold, Payton II doesn't hesitate — he says “absolutely.”

 “Absolutely,” said Payton II when asked if the Warriors can be title contenders this season. “Once Jonathan comes back, that's another piece that we can throw back in there, and he gets accumulated with Jimmy [Butler] and we can see how that plays different lineups and different units.”

The 32-year-old veteran preaches that playing unselfish basketball is the key for the Warriors to hit their stride in the playoffs. They actually rank second in assists per game since Butler's acquisition.

 “Continue to share the ball and limit our turnovers,” said Payton II. “We don't really care who does it on the other court on the other side. Just play basketball the right way, hit the open guy and try to just put that on repeat and get stops and go out and get easy buckets.”

The Warriors had one of the best records in the NBA through the early portion of the season, going 12-3 through their first 15 games. However, they fizzled — in part due to injuries, such as the one to Kuminga — and went 13-23 over their ensuing 36 games.

The addition of Butler, a proven veteran who led the Miami Heat to two NBA Finals appearances, has stabilized the lineup. Payton II says this is the best the Warriors have played since the beginning of the season.

Payton II stresses wanting to avoid the play-in, which would mean the Warriors would have to finish sixth or better in order to do that. He also says he would like to help bring a “couple more championships” to Golden State alongside four-time champions Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Steve Kerr.

“[Hopefully] We can continue to ride this wave as long as we can, stay humble and continue working on what we need to do,” said Payton II. “By the time April comes, we'll be in a good spot — hopefully not in the play-in, though.”

The Warriors tried to re-acquire Kevin Durant, who led them to two NBA championships and three Finals appearances during his three seasons in Golden State. However, Durant turned down the opportunity at returning to Golden State and instead wanted to end the season with the Phoenix Suns.

Durant cited not wanting to make a change of scenery in the middle of the season as a reason why he didn't end up going to Golden State.

While the Warriors have benefited from the Butler trade, the Suns have continued to underperform. The Suns have a 3-8 record since Feb. 8, one of the worst marks in the NBA. Phoenix is currently 11th in the West and three games behind the Dallas Mavericks for the final play-in spot.

Payton II says he wasn't “surprised” by Durant's decision, and says he has his reasons for why he opted to stay in Phoenix.

 “Guys like KD have their own reasons and whatnot why they do what they do,” said Payton II when asked about Durant. “I'm just a decibel. I know KD would have brought his own set of unique skills. I'm happy with Jimmy and can't do anything about KD now. We don't even try to worry about it, Jimmy's been a great fit so far.

“We're on the right track and I like this team right now,” Payton II continued to say. “Hopefully we can make some noise in April.”