Gary Payton II, who was acquired by the Golden State Warriors in February, has yet to play for the reigning champions due to a core muscle injury. However, Payton has been ramping up his on-court activities, including shooting, and the team announced that his workload is expected to intensify in the coming days. The Warriors hope that this positive development will lead to Payton's return before the regular season ends on April 9th. Coach Steve Kerr remains optimistic, saying that Payton is "doing well" and that "there's definitely hope and optimism that he'll be able to play at some point."

Although there is no clear timeline for his return, Dr. Nirav Pandya of UC San Francisco predicts that Payton could be back in around three weeks, given the nature of his injury. With four regular-season games left on the schedule, Payton's return could provide the team with a much-needed defensive lift amid a tight Western Conference race. Despite missing the first 35 games of the season, Payton played 14 of the last 16 games for the Trail Blazers. He was a key player in the Warriors' title run last year and could prove to be a valuable asset once he is fully recovered.