Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways from Summer League loss to Cleveland Cavaliers
By Adam McGee
Payton Fighting For His Spot
While Summer League can be crucial for many undrafted players hoping to earn further professional opportunities in the G-League and around the world, on the Bucks’ roster it’s arguably most important for a player who finished last season in the NBA with Milwaukee.
With the Bucks facing a tight squeeze in terms of roster spots and avoiding the luxury tax, Gary Payton II has every reason to feel uneasy about his place on the roster. While Payton is inexpensive, his contract is non-guaranteed, meaning the Bucks could choose to waive him at any time before the league-wide guarantee date as the new season approaches.
As a result, the pressures for Payton are obvious in Las Vegas this week, and yet he showed no signs of it negatively affecting his performance.
The Mitten was clearly the Bucks’ best player in their disappointing opening game, as he filled up the box score with his Hall of Fame father, Gary Payton, looking on.
The 24-year-old finished the game with 10 points, four rebounds and three assists on 4-7 shooting from the field. What was undoubtedly most impressive was his defense, though.
Payton racked up five steals overall and caused havoc with his defensive pressure throughout. Having been down by large margins for most of the game, the Bucks did manage to put a run together to cut the deficit to 10 points in the third quarter, thanks almost entirely to the combined defensive efforts of Payton and Travis Trice.
Payton’s jump shot is certainly still a work in progress, but defense like he demonstrated on this occasion could be enough to prove he’s deserving of further opportunity in the NBA next season.