2 DAYS AGO - Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images He has done an excellent job filling the void left by Gary Payton II. Filling Gary Payton II’s shoes was always going to be extremely hard — and, to be quite honest, damn near impossible. Payton II was a diamond in the rough. It was a travesty for NBA teams to not take notice of him and keep them on their roster, considering that his skill set is what multiple teams value. To say that Payton II is an excellent defender is underselling him. He’s a bonafide elite perimeter stopper who — despite his small 6’3” stature — could also switch up the positional spectrum in a pinch. He plays bigger than his position on offense, as well. He could screen for Steph Curry and act as a hyper-athletic roll man and lob target. Steve Kerr even had a specific play for Payton II that leveraged his leaping ability and athleticism. He was a crucial component of the Golden State Warriors’ second-ranked defense last season and was behind a couple of huge Collapse

2 DAYS AGO - John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports A limited injury report for Golden State against Toronto. The Golden State Warriors are preparing for a rematch of the 2019 NBA Finals when they host the Toronto Raptors tonight at 7:00 p.m. PT on NBA TV. And they’ll be without a handful of players, as they sent 2022 draft picks Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Ryan Rollins, as well as second-year guard Moses Moody to the G League’s Santa Cruz Warriors for some additional seasoning. Beyond that, the Warriors injury report is fairly bare, though there is one big name on it. Let’s dive into the game’s injury report. Warriors Out — Andre Iguodala (right hip soreness) Well ... we’ll always have those lovely three games when Iguodala returned, before he returned to the land of the injured. Hopefully we see him again this season, but who knows. Questionable — Andrew Wiggins (non-covid illness) Wiggins was a late scratch on Tuesday due to a sickness. He already missed about a week and a half earlier in the season Collapse

3 DAYS AGO - Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images Rounding up all the Warriors and NBA news from around the web.  Good Morning Dub Nation, On Thursday, Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr did an interview with 95.7 The Game. He discussed many things ranging from the Warriors general manager Bob Myers and his ongoing contract situation to more light-hearted topics like his game picks for the upcoming NFC Championship game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Philadelphia Eagles. However, towards the end of the interview, Kerr was asked a direct question about former second-overall pick James Wiseman: Do you owe it to Wiseman to either start playing him or trade him? “I think that’s a fair question,” Kerr responded. “One of the things that I tell James (Wiseman) from time to time, is that I feel bad for him because of the circumstances. He’s had a tough go with the injuries. The injuries have definitely set him back. But the bottom line is he’s a really talented young guy playing on a Collapse

3 DAYS AGO - Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports The Santa Cruz shuttle is alive and well. The Golden State Warriors made a roster move on Thursday morning, after their thrilling win over the Memphis Grizzlies the night prior. And it’s a move they’ve already made a few times this season, as they assigned rookies Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Ryan Rollins to their G League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors. Only this time they’re joined by second-year player Moses Moody. Warriors assign Baldwin Jr., Moody & Rollins to Santa Cruz: pic.twitter.com/1fhr27hQqZ— Warriors PR (@WarriorsPR) January 26, 2023 Baldwin had been getting a little bit of playing time recently with the extended absences of Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, and JaMychal Green. He’s appeared in 15 games this year, with impressive per 36 minutes averages of 22.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.7 steals, while shooting a blistering 44.9% from three-point range. He had a career-high 17 points in the team’s December 21 blowout Collapse

4 DAYS AGO - John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports Steve Kerr took a huge risk that mightily paid off. At the 5:10 mark of the fourth quarter of the Golden State Warriors’ Chase Center rematch against the Memphis Grizzlies (with the Warriors trailing by a score of 111-102), Steve Kerr subbed out Kevon Looney and Anthony Lamb for Draymond Green and Jordan Poole. That left the Warriors with a five-man crew consisting of: Steph Curry Jordan Poole Donte DiVincenzo Klay Thompson Draymond Green Before this game, this particular lineup had played a grand total of 11 possessions together this season, per Cleaning the Glass. It’s an extremely small sample size that didn’t spend enough time together for anyone to form any sort of viable conclusion about it — but you also don’t need much to see how it could be a problematic combination. For starters, playing a four-guard lineup with Green as the lone center (an undersized one, at that) is like cutting random wires while defusing a bomb. The wheels could Collapse

4 DAYS AGO - Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports Wiggins is dealing with a non-COVID illness. Just a few hours before their exciting showdown against the Memphis Grizzlies, the Golden State Warriors lost a player from their starting lineup. Forward Andrew Wiggins, who only recently returned to the lineup, was a late scratch due to a non-COVID illness. Andrew Wiggins has now been ruled out for the Warriors tonight against the Grizzlies. Non-COVID illness.— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) January 26, 2023 Hopefully whatever sickness Wiggins is dealing with is a mild one, and not the illness that he dealt with a few weeks ago. After missing 11 straight games with an adductor strain, Wiggins was cleared to return to the court on December 28, but was hit with an illness that sidelined him for a whopping four consecutive games. Let’s all hope that doesn’t happen this time around. On paper, Wiggins’ absence might not hurt the Dubs too much, as he’s been ice cold since returning to the lineup. Collapse

5 DAYS AGO - Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports Plus, James Wiseman is likely to return. The Golden State Warriors are hoping to bounce back from a disappointing home loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday when they host the Memphis Grizzlies on ESPN tonight, in a game that may or may not be a rivalry, depending on who you ask. The big news is that Ja Morant is returning for the Grizzlies, after just a one-game absence. Thankfully his left ankle injury was not serious. For the Warriors, it’s a notable injury report because there are very few names on it, which is a rarity for this season. Let’s jump into it. Warriors Out — Andre Iguodala (right hip soreness) I’m in the minority here, but I actually thought Iguodala looked pretty decent when he made his season debut near the beginning of the month. Unfortunately his return lasted only three games, and this will be his sixth straight absence since. Probably — James Wiseman (left ankle sprain) Morant’s left ankle injury may not have been Collapse

5 DAYS AGO - James Wiseman will be back to dunk on the Grizzlies Wednesday night. Probably. | Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images The Warriors’ young big man could play for the first time in four weeks after spraining his ankle. Just in time for the trade deadline! One month ago, James Wiseman delivered a solid eight minutes of defense and rebounding in the Golden State Warriors’ Christmas Day win over the Memphis Grizzlies. He may get a chance to challenge the Grizzlies dynasty again Wednesday night. James Wiseman is probable for the Warriors game against Memphis tomorrow. He's missed the last 11 games with a sprained ankle. Andre Iguodala is out.— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) January 24, 2023 Wiseman went through a practice on Tuesday, though the team didn’t scrimmage. He’s on pace to give the Warriors almost a full-strength roster for the rematch against Memphis, after Jonathan Kuminga and JaMychal Green returned last week. It’s just under a month’s absence for Collapse

7 DAYS AGO - Photo by Kavin Mistry/Getty Images Rounding up all the Warriors and NBA news from around the web.  Good Morning Dub Nation, The Golden State Warriors fumbled another game Sunday night after losing to the Brooklyn Nets, 120-116. Golden State was up by as much as 17 points in the first half, but Brooklyn stormed back behind Kyrie Irving’s game-high 38 points to complete the comeback victory. It was yet another example of the Warriors squandering a big lead this season prompting head coach Steve Kerr to discuss his team’s inability thus far to close out games. “We’re not good enough, yet, to close games. We’ve got to get better.”Steve Kerr explains why the Warriors are struggling to close out games pic.twitter.com/CjjLOfveBd— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) January 23, 2023 Lack of execution and questionable decision-making on both sides of the ball led to the Warriors’ demise down the stretch. Although Stephen Curry led the team with 26 points on 7-of-16 shooting from Collapse