Gary Payton II welcomes the low expectations surrounding the Golden State Warriors as they approach the 2026-27 NBA season. The veteran guard sees parallels to the team's surprising 2022 championship run, despite the Warriors coming off a 37-win campaign and a recent 1W-4L stretch to close last year, including a 115-110 play-in tournament loss to the LA Clippers on April 13, 2026.
Payton pointed out clear echoes of the past. The Warriors' last title team missed the playoffs after a 39-win season. This group finished with 37 wins and also fell short of the postseason. Back then, Klay Thompson was rehabbing a major injury. Now, Jimmy Butler is working his way back from an ailment, and the team also awaits Moses Moody's return.
The youth movement offers another point of comparison. Payton believes young players like Brandin Podziemski, entering his fourth year, and rookie Yaxel Lendeborg could provide the spark Jordan Poole once did. Brandon Williams' ability to attack the basket off the dribble also draws Poole comparisons. The core of Steph Curry and Draymond Green remains, just as it did five years ago.
The supporting cast has changed. Role players from 2022 like Damion Lee and Otto Porter Jr. have been replaced by veterans such as De’Anthony Melton, Kristaps Porziņģis, Al Horford, and Georges Niang. Payton, who will be 34 in December, is coming off a career-high 73 games played last season. He found the perfect fit here to extend his career as a fan favorite.
The young players are a bit older now. Williams turns 27 in November, Charles Bassey will be 26, and Lendeborg and Will Richard are 24. Podziemski, still the youngest Warrior, turns 24 in February. Payton trusts them to contribute. "Down the line, young guys are gonna win some games for us and give our vet guys some time to rest and chill," he said.
The Warriors' final games were a mixed bag. Their last five results featured just one win, a 110-105 victory over the Sacramento Kings on April 8. They followed that with three consecutive losses to the Houston Rockets (117-116), Los Angeles Lakers (119-103), and Sacramento Kings (124-118) before the play-in defeat to the Clippers. That 115-110 loss on April 13 ended their year.
That play-in win against the Clippers, however, provided a flash of the old magic. Curry dropped 35 points, with 27 in the second half. Green locked down Kawhi Leonard defensively. Porziņģis had 20 points and a monster putback dunk. It was a one-game reminder of their potential, even in a losing cause. You can review the team's full schedule and results on our schedule page.
The goal is simple for Payton. "Stay healthy and have fun." The external pressure is off, which he prefers. The formula relies on health and timing. "When it’s time, when it matters, I think you know we’re always going to show up," Payton stated. "We got 30 [Curry], we got [Draymond Green]. When we get Jimmy and we get Moses back, you never know."
The path forward involves patience. "We just got to play the right ball until the right time and see what happens." With a blend of championship experience and hungry young talent, the Warriors aim to defy the odds once more. Their recent form suggests a steep climb, but this group has been counted out before.
