Gary Payton II Nearing Wilt Chamberlain Warriors Record

Gary Payton II and Wilt Chamberlain are about as different as two NBA players can be.

Chamberlain was the most dominant center of his era. At 7’1″, he towered over most of his competition, which helped him average an NBA-record 50.4 points per game in the 1961-62 season.

Payton is a 6’2″ reserve guard most known for being a defensive pest.

Yet he’s nearing a Chamberlain record for his offensive contributions.

Payton has made his last 16 field-goal attempts going back to the third quarter of Golden State’s game against Detroit on March 20. He made his last three shots of that game against the Pistons. He then sat out the Warriors’ loss to the Hawks on March 21 before going 8-of-8 against the Mavericks on Monday and 5-of-5 against the Nets on Wednesday.

Chamberlain holds the team record at 19 makes in a row without a miss, per NBC Sports Bay Area’s Dalton Johnson.

Little Big Man Has Plenty Left in the Tank

As someone who relies heavily on his athleticism, Payton was at risk of declining this season. After all, he’s 33 and has had major injury issues in his career.

Instead, Payton is having his best season since the 2021-22 season when the Warriors won the championship.

He’s up to a career-high-matching 7.1 points per game, and this recent stretch has upped his field-goal percentage to 56.9. Not bad for a 6’2″ veteran being asked to score in the paint.

Perhaps most importantly, he’s missed just eight games this season. If he’s played seven of the last nine games, he’ll set a career high in games played.

Should the Warriors Bring Him Back Next Season?

Payton has played this season on a veteran minimum contract. I’m guessing he won’t get an offer for more than that in free agency, so as long as he wants to be back with the Warriors, they should be able to get him back with another veteran minimum deal.

Golden State has just six players guaranteed to be under contract next season. That number doesn’t include Draymond Green, who has a player option but is expected to be back.

Of the original six, two are Jimmy Butler and Moses Mooody, who are expected to miss at least half of the 2026-27 season.

This is all to say that the Warriors might look very different next year, so having a bench piece who knows the system would help.

With that said, the Warriors should embrace the challenge of finding young diamonds in the rough this offseason. Preferably these diamonds would have positional size and three-point shooting ability that Payton doesn’t have.

It feels like Payton’s return is truly a 50-50 proposition.