Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II suffered an elbow injury on a controversial play in Game 2 of the Western Conference semi-finals Tuesday, and reports indicate the injury will cost him significant time.
Payton suffered a fractured elbow and sustained slight ligament damage, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. The injury is expected to sideline Payton for three-to-five weeks, meaning he likely would not have a chance of returning until the NBA Finals at best.
Sources: MRI on Warriors guard Gary Payton II showed slight ligament damage along with his fractured left elbow. He will miss at least three weeks and has not ruled out a return in the NBA Finals.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 5, 2022
Payton suffered the injury when he was fouled by Memphis forward Dillon Brooks while going up for a fast-break layup. The Warriors were left fuming over the foul, which was ruled a flagrant-2 and led to Brooks’ ejection. That anger probably will not fade now that we know Payton will definitely miss the rest of the Memphis series, as well as any potential Conference Finals tilt.
The Warriors had moved Payton into the starting lineup recently, clearly valuing his hustle and defensive ability. While he may not be a member of the team’s star core, they will no doubt miss him.
