Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II has made the most of limited minutes in the Dubs' first-round series against the Denver Nuggets.
He's swatted MVP Nikola Jokic multiple times, despite being significantly shorter than the big man. He's done his best to troll and annoy Denver's best player. In the first half of Game 3, he went off for 11 points, including three 3-pointers.
And to think, he was apparently close to calling it a career before the 2021-22 season.
That's according to a new report from ESPN released on Thursday, detailing Payton II's rise from a fringe NBA player who fluctuated back and forth between the G League to a trusted role player for Golden State.