Portland Trail Blazers: Why the Blazers should take a flyer on bargain free agent Gary Payton II

With a glaring need for defensive energy out on the perimeter, the Portland Trail Blazers would be wise to consider a low-risk, high-reward move in signing Gary Payton II.

Some two decades ago, the Pacific Northwest was among the places to be in the NBA. Perhaps this sounds familiar: an Oakland-born point guard took on the onus of putting the region on his back, racking up accolade after accolade, all the while perennially keeping his team in contention. The torch has officially been passed from Seattle SuperSonics legend Gary Payton to Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard.

But if the Blazers are entertaining every option this offseason, could bringing on Payton’s like-minded son, Gary Payton II aboard be within reason?

It should be noted: Payton II was a part of the Blazers’ training camp before the 2018-19 season, but it was always a longshot for him to make the roster with Portland’s guard depth. It appeared he developed a positive rapport, though. Two years later, he’s a tad bit more established.

This past season, Payton II played 27 sparingly-used games with the Wizards. Considering Washington’s historic aversion to playing defense, you’d have been forgiven if you missed his playing time. But each and every time Payton II took the floor, the opposing team was officially put on turnover watch.

For those in need of illustration: the Wizards went through 23 different players last season. Gary Payton II, fittingly nicknamed “The Mitten,” (pun intended) in tribute of his father, was one of just three players without a negative defensive box plus-minus to his name.

Payton II made his season debut on Dec. 23. Consider his statistics in his first three games of the season: 11.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 4.3 steals per game on 56-63-50 percentage splits. And no there’s — *checks notes* — absolutely no typo to be found in that; he produced two separate games of six steals over his first three outings.

In spite of all that, there’s much question as to if Payton II fits into the Wizards’ long-term plans, especially with John Wall’s upcoming return. In a September article, Matt Moderno of SB Nation’s Bullets Forever argued that he probably isn’t because of the lack of spacing he provides.

That’s reasonable; Payton’s left-handed stroke looked at least respectable at the outset. In fact, in benefitting from Isaiah Thomas’ shot creation, he hit on five of his first six from deep, taking advantage of defenses’ unwillingness to commit to the deep corners.

But, he quickly cooled with the weather. And that’s a shame because save for the Miami game, players were content to give him that shot without much resistance.

Regardless, here’s a hot take that probably shouldn’t be much of a hot take: the Portland Trail Blazers have enough scorers. As soon as they touched down at the NBA’s Orlando campus, they had a more efficient offense than the Dallas Mavericks, owners of the highest offensive rating in basketball history.

Few things are more fun than watching the Trail Blazers score 135 points; but what if they could do so without their opponent having 134?

Hustle and energy are two things the Blazers struggle with defensively. By adding Payton, one of the great potential bargain free agents, they would be rectifying that, on the perimeter at least. Among players to play a modest 100 minutes in 2019-20, Payton ranked No. 1 in the NBA in deflections per 36 (5.8). The players under him? Primetime passing lane marauders like Kris Dunn, Matisse Thybulle, and Dejounte Murray. So, exclusive company.

That defense leads to efficient offense, too. The Wizards were +5.2 points per possessions stinger on defense under Payton. It serves as no coincidence that the Wizards, already a great transition offense team, didn’t miss a beat once injuries took over. They ranked No. 6 in the NBA in points off turnovers during that stretch from Dec. 23 to Feb. 2, when Payton’s playing time was consistent.

Of course, all of this works under the assumption that the Blazers want to run Anfernee Simons and Gary Trent Jr. off the ball. Payton displayed a great feel for reactionary passes in the open floor. If not, Payton II could be a low-risk, high-reward signing.

At age 27, it’s unclear if Payton II will ever become a trustworthy shooter, a lack of development that could cost him a spot in an NBA rotation. But as B/R’s Mandela Namaste pointed out, the Wizards often trusted Payton II to guard the NBA’s best guards, and there’s proven success there. Players like that aren’t a guarantee, and he’s a safe bet to not give up more points than he scores himself.

Only time will tell in that regard, though. But here’s what we know: it’s been quite some time since a player by the name of “Payton” was making an undeniable impact in the Pacific Northwest. And while he certainly won’t become an All-Star or anything close, there are bench roles to be carved in this NBA. Maybe there’s a spot there on the Portland Trail Blazers, too.