Portland Trail Blazers guard Gary Payton II, left, and forward Josh Hart, right, kick the ball to each other during warmups before playing Detroit on Jan. 2 at the Moda Center.
There hasn’t been much to like about the Portland Trail Blazers the last couple of weeks.
The team dropped three disheartening road games and followed that up with losses at home to Orlando and Cleveland.
Admittedly, head coach Chauncey Billups said his team was in a funk. Damian Lillard said the team was pressing too much and put too much pressure on themselves, especially in a couple fourth-quarter collapses during the five-game losing streak.
Enter Gary Payton II.
The 6-foot-3 gnat with a shiny smile is already taking steps toward making the impact Billups and general manager Joe Cronin hoped he would with the Blazers.
In the Saturday, Jan. 14, matchup at home against Dallas, Payton came into the game to guard Luka Doncic, who’s been tearing up the NBA with a league-high 33.8 points per game.
Payton ended the first half with four steals. Doncic finished the game with 15 points.
“Defensively he’s just disruptive,” Billups said of Payton. “He’s like a little gnat, he just sticks to you the whole time, he’s got great hands, he’s physical, he’s smart as heck how he guards defensively, so he just has an impact. He’s one of those guys that, the way he plays, he makes the other four guys level up.”
With half the season gone and Portland sitting at 21-22 through Jan. 15, the Blazers could certainly use some leveling up if they want to be dangerous going into the postseason like Billups said he hopes the team will be.
After a 10-4 start, it’s been 11-18 since, in large part to some subpar defense and one of the league’s highest turnover rates offensively.
Payton, who Billups said is a great screener on offense, can help change the direction for both of those issues.
“When he gets the ball, because we got guys that need to be trapped, he’s a really good playmaker from there,” Billups said. “You see how he gets the ball and whips it out fast before the defense can rotate. He sneaks behind the defense, plays in that dunker spot for a small guy. He’s just very unique in what he brings from an offensive standpoint.
“There’s a reason why we coveted him so much, because we know he can impact our games.”
Portland Trail Blazers guard Gary Payton II, left, and forward Josh Hart, right, kick the ball to each other during warmups before playing Detroit on Jan. 2 at the Moda Center.
PMG Photo: John Lariviere
Payton had 10 points in that Jan. 14 win over Dallas, hitting two 3-pointers and making sure the Mavericks bench knew about it.
And that’s what it feels like the former Oregon State Beaver truly brings to this Blazers squad: a contagious energy.
Not many players in the NBA are willing to guard at 80 feet right out of the inbound consistently. It’s why, on AAPI Night inside Moda Center against Dallas, fans saw the nickname given overseas to Payton is ‘Handcuffs.’ Also fitting for the man wearing 00.
Watch Payton and he’s up in every opposing guard’s business every single time down the floor.
Not only that, everything he does is done with a smile.
Whether that is reacting after nearly poking away a steal, or enjoying the festivities that occur in the arena between timeouts, Payton plays the game like a kid in the toy store. He wants to be a part of everything and do everything and that’s something Portland missed in the first half of the season.
Lillard said so himself, the team has been playing too tight. Insert a loose cannon like Payton and it can be infectious to play the game like you’re still a kid on the local black top.
“I do think he plays with a lot of joy,” Lillard said. “It makes sense coming from Golden State, I think they’re like the ultimate example of a team that just plays with joy, they play free, and it’s almost careless. It’s like, ‘Whatever, we might win, we might lose and we’re just going to enjoy it.’ I think he has that about him, and I think that’s why he fit right in in Golden State and I think he does bring that sort of joyous spirit to the team with him on the floor.”
The good news for Portland is, despite the five-game losing streak, it hasn’t lost much ground in a Western Conference race that’s provided little separation.
As of Jan. 15, the Blazers were tied for eighth in the Western Conference with Golden State. They are just a game out of the No. 6 spot in the tight race to avoid the play-in tournament..
The sky is not falling for this Portland team, at least not yet. And Payton is sure to provide a much-needed change for the second half.
“We’re trying to get to the playoffs and be dangerous,” Billups said. “We’re not consistent, haven’t been very consistent. We’re getting better, we’re getting healthier, hopefully we get more healthy soon, but we haven’t been consistent.”
Up next
Portland played at Denver on Tuesday, Jan. 17, and is home for its next six games, starting at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 19, with Philadelphia in town. Then it’s 6 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 22, against the Los Angeles Lakers with San Antonio in the next night at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 23.
Portland entered January with the most played road games in the league and following the Denver game, it’ll be at 25 road games played on the season compared to 19 at home.
Health update
The Blazers provided an injury update on forwards Nassir Little and Justise Winslow on Thursday, Jan. 12.
Little has been out since Nov. 30 with a femoral head impaction fracture in his right hip, but the team announced he’s returned to on-court activity in preparation of a return. Well, the return didn’t take long as Little came off the bench for a Jan. 15 win over Dallas. He had 10 points, one rebound and one assist in 16 minutes of action.
Winslow has been out since Dec. 23 with a left ankle sprain. The Blazers say recent examines show progress in the forward’s ankle, but Winslow will still be out at least another two weeks.
I'm Pamplin Media Group's managing sports editor, overseeing our sports sections across our entire network. On top of that, I help the Portland Tribune by covering the Portland Trail Blazers and local high school sports. From Colorado, I enjoy the lack of snow in Portland and enjoy a night out perusing the next big food truck.
