Known for his bulldog defensive attitude, Payton has also made surprising contributions on the boards. Payton needed only 17 minutes to nab three steals against Charlotte, including a robbery of LaMelo Ball that led to a late fastbreak layup. With 9.4 steals per game, the Warriors rank fifth in the league and have seen a similar improvement from a year ago. Golden State is averaging 40 defensive boards per game, second in the league and a 16% jump from last season. The Warriors’ biggest statistical improvements from a year ago have come in defensive rebounding and steals, two categories in which Payton and his veteran teammates have played a role. “We felt like we could maintain our defensive effort than a year ago, and I actually think we’re better now because of Gary and because of Andre Iguodala.” “We are reinvigorated in a lot of ways, and he’s part of that,” Kerr said. Payton has gone from the edge of the roster to one of Kerr’s first substitutions on most nights. 10) and has flourished into of the biggest contributors off the bench. Instead, he re-upped on a new contract with Golden State (that doesn’t become guaranteed until Jan.
