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Gary Payton II checked in for his first action of the 2019-20 season late in the first quarter of Washington’s December 23 matchup with the New York Knicks, just hours after signing with the team following cross-country flight and a brief meeting with head coach Scott Brooks. Payton II was signed under the NBA’s hardship provision granted to the Wizards as they dealt with an onslaught of injuries that sidelined, at the time, Davis Bertans, Thomas Bryant, Rui Hachimura, Jordan McRae, C.J. Miles, Moritz Wagner and John Wall.
As Payton II took the court for the first time, the Knicks were on an 8-0 run after scoring on four consecutive possessions and held an early 13-point lead. Over the next six minutes, the Knicks’ scoring screeched to a halt as Payton II imposed his will on the defensive end of the court and led the Wizards on a 18-3 run to take a two-point lead.
In his first 11 minutes of action, Payton II recorded three steals, a pair of rebounds and was a plus-15 without even scoring a point. The shorthanded Wizards went on to win the game, 121-115. Payton finished the game with 10 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and six steals, becoming the first bench player in NBA history to hit those marks in a game.
“He has what every coach wants,” Brooks said after the game. “He has a defensive toughness. He has a presence. He makes winning basketball plays. It’s remarkable. He flies in, meets with me for two minutes, meets with our staff, has a breakfast meeting and plays so well. Give him credit.”
In his next outing, Payton II went for 10 points, five rebounds and five assists – and added his first two blocks of the season. Two days later, in another matchup with the Knicks, he scored a season-high 15 points and recorded another six steals, becoming one of three players with multiple six-steal games this season. In his first four games, Payton II had a 7.0 steal percentage (percentage of opponent possessions that end with a steal by the player while on the floor). For reference, league average among qualifying players is 1.5%.
“I’ve been hungry ever since I got here,” Payton II said. “In and out of the G League, trying to find somewhere to stick. I think these guys here appreciate what I do and value what I do, so I go to bat for them every day. [I’m] Just taking advantage of this opportunity.”
Two weeks and nine games later, Payton II has found himself a regular role in the Wizards’ rotation and will be with the team for the remainder of the season.
“It’s been a rollercoaster,” Payton II said on a recent episode of the Off The Bench Podcast. “I had some bumps and bruises through there. It’s been a grind, but I cherish every moment. Every time I get cut is just another reason for me to go hard and continue to grind it out. This season, I think I found a good fit here in Washington.”
Payton II has played in each of the Wizards’ nine games since his signing and leads the league with 21 steals since that date.
Defense has been the headlining element of his game since college. After two years at Salt Lake Community College (Utah), Payton II transferred to Oregon State for his final two years of eligibility. In those two years, he averaged 14.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.8 steals in 63 games and became the first player to win Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year twice. Payton II set school records for consecutive games with a steal (38), career steals average (2.8) and most blocked shots in a game (7).
Despite his record-setting college career, Payton II went undrafted in 2016. Since then, he has bounced between the G League and NBA, appearing in short stints with the Bucks, Lakers and Wizards prior to this season’s run. In the week leading up to his December signing with Washington, Payton II was named the NBA G League Player of the Week after averaging 30.7 points, 10.0 assists, 7.7 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.3 blocks per game.
“What makes him so good, I think it's pretty simple: he’s been cut a few times,” Brooks said. “When you're cut a few times, you're hungry. You're desperate. You have family members that are counting on you. When you're a young player, it's easy for you because you think you're going to be in the league for a long time. I've been in the league a long time. It doesn't work that way.”
Payton II’s defensive versatility makes life easier for every teammate that shares the court with him. Of his 21 steals this season, 15 have come as an off-ball or help defender. His athleticism and wingspan make disrupting shots and clogging passing lanes at an above average level seem routine.
“His hands are huge and his arms are really long,” Troy Brown Jr. said of Payton II after Wednesday’s game against Orlando. “And then he has a knack for the ball. Like, he can see it before it happens. I don’t know how many steals he had tonight, but he was just everywhere and had a lot of deflections and making the right plays.”
His skillset also opens up a world of options for the Wizards’ coaches, who can plug and play Payton II at just about any position on the defensive end of the court. According to NBA.com, in his nine games, there are seven players Payton II has matched up with defensively for at least three minutes. That list includes Damian Lillard, Jayson Tatum, RJ Barrett and Julius Randle. The Wizards have asked Payton II to do a little bit of everything on defense – and he’s answered.
“He has a mindset that he wants to get stops,” Brooks said. “He enjoys getting stops. Some people get fired up when they make a three – I think he gets fired up when he gets a steal…He competes. That’s the bottom line.”
Isaiah Thomas, no stranger to the journeyman path around the NBA, understands what it takes to prove oneself to doubters around the league – and sees something in Payton II.
“One thing about the NBA is it’s all about situational opportunity,” Thomas said. “He’s a guy who is going to take advantage of this opportunity and I’m happy for him.”
At 27 years old, Payton II is four years removed from his rookie season and has suited up for three different NBA teams, yet there are still six teams he has yet to play against. He talks, looks and plays like a veteran, but is a fresh face in a league he’s been a part of since 2016. This time around, Payton II has burst onto the scene and made a name for himself – and now has three months of basketball to prove that he belongs for good.