The Warriors beat the Clippers by 19 points, but the plus-minus on the perimeter is an eye-wateringly low -17?

In the previous NBA regular season, the Golden State Warriors easily defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 98-79 at home. After this game, the Warriors successfully won two consecutive victories, with a current record of 4 wins and 1 loss; while the Clippers ended their two-game losing streak, with a current record of 2 wins and 2 losses.

In this game, although the Warriors achieved a big victory, the performance of the team's backup backcourt gatekeeper Gary Payton II was astonishing. Payton Jr. played for 5 minutes and 21 seconds. During this period, he did not complete a single shot, did not score a single point, and only contributed 1 block and 1 foul. His plus-minus value was as low as -17, the lowest in the team. Payton Jr. played no role on the offensive end, didn't score any points, and didn't make any contributions, so forget it. The most critical thing is that his performance on the defensive end is also appalling. As a defensive gate, Payton Jr. did not have the effect he should have at all. He was simply beaten by James Harden in various ways. What's interesting is that Harden has a hard time scoring points against other players, but he seems to be able to do it with ease against Payton Jr. Payton Jr.'s performance on both offense and defense was disappointing, and his minus-17 plus-minus value also shows how bad the team's situation was when he was on the court. Fortunately, the performance of the team's starters was good enough, and Payton Jr.'s poor performance did not affect the team's victory.

In the NBA regular season last season, Payton Jr. played 62 times for the Warriors in 82 games, averaging 15 minutes per game. He averaged 6.5 points, 3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game. He also had 0.6 turnovers and 1.7 fouls. He shot 57.4% from the field, 32.6% from the three-point range, and 71.1% from the free throw line. In the playoffs, Payton Jr. played a total of 11 times, averaging 16.4 minutes per game. He averaged 4.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 0.9 steals per game. He also had 0.5 turnovers and 1.9 fouls. He shot 44.7% from the field and 39.1% from the three-point range. Since the start of this season, Payton Jr. has averaged 9.3 minutes per game in the first 5 games, averaging 3.2 points, 1.8 rebounds, 0.6 assists, and 0.4 steals per game. He also has 0.6 turnovers and 1.2 fouls. His shooting percentage is 53.3% and his three-point shooting percentage is 0%.

Payton Jr.'s decline this season is actually very large. It is indeed difficult for him to play an role on the offensive end. Apart from air cuts, he has no other way to score. His threat from beyond the three-point line has also further declined. Not only that, affected by the decline in athletic ability, Payton Jr.'s situation on the defensive end is not optimistic. He is no longer the all-around defender who can defend opponents in multiple positions. When facing an opponent who is taller than him, due to the obvious decline in athletic ability, it is difficult for him to effectively restrict the opponent's performance. Because of this, Payton Jr.'s playing time has been reduced a lot this season. Even head coach Steve Kerr, who admires him very much, is a little hesitant to use him. If this trend continues, Payton Jr. may be leaving the NBA soon.