The Warriors offered updates on injured players Gary Payton II and Andre Iguodala late Thursday morning.
According to the team, Payton will be re-evaluated in two weeks after an MRI Wednesday confirmed a fractured left elbow, along with ligament and muscle damage. Iguodala will be re-evaluated in one week as he deals with a disc injury in his neck.
Reports surfaced Wednesday night that Payton could be ready to return to the floor in as soon as three weeks, which would be coming near the start of the NBA Finals on June 2. Payton suffered his injury in Game 2 of the second-round series against the Grizzlies after Dillon Brooks sent him to the floor with a swipe to the head that Steve Kerr has labeled "dirty."
If Payton could return for the Warriors this season, that’d be great for two reasons. Primarily for GP2, who is trying to secure a multiyear deal in free agency this season after finding stability for the first time this season in his journeyman NBA career. But it’d also likely mean that the Warriors would be making their sixth NBA Finals trip in eight years.
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Iguodala has missed the past three games while dealing with his latest nagging neck injury. The 38-year-old veteran was limited to 31 contests in the regular season while dealing with knee, hip and back issues that flared up.
Payton and Iguodala are two key defensive stoppers for coach Kerr. In Game 3 of the Denver Nuggets series in the first round, the duo replaced Steph Curry and Jordan Poole for the final 18 seconds of the game for defensive purposes. Iguodala ended up blocking Will Barton’s final 3-point attempt for the Nuggets to seal the win for the Dubs.
Memphis can present a lot of matchup problems beyond Ja Morant, who dropped 47 points in the Grizzlies Game 2 victory Tuesday. Iguodala could be key in helping slow down players like Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr., but it appears he will be unavailable until at least Game 6 (if necessary) on May 13.
