Blazers Guard Gary Payton II Injured Again?

Portland Trail Blazers guard Gary Payton II is finally getting his feet wet on the court with his new team, but he may have to head right back to the sidelines.

According to Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report, Payton may not play in Wednesday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Blazers are listing Gary Payton II as questionable for tomorrow with a right ankle sprain. Chauncey Billups said after the game that he tweaked it.

He hurt his ankle in his first-half stint last night and played another shift in the second half so I would imagine it’s not that serious.

I asked him after the game how he felt physically and he said this: “I’m good. Thought it would be a little more sore, but I’m straight. Just back to it. Get back out there, get back to work. Just have the mindset to thug it out, basically.”

Payton played in his first NBA action Monday night since winning the NBA Finals with the Golden State Warriors back in June.

In his debut, he played 13 minutes off the bench, notching seven points and four assists while meshing well with teammates – particularly rookie guard Shaedon Sharpe.

The Blazers might want to be cautious with Payton, who signed a lucrative deal with Portland in the offseason to be the team’s defensive dynamo in the backcourt. However, given the fact that he has already missed a good chunk of the season, it’s important for him to develop a rhythm as quickly as possible.

It puts the Blazers in a predicament, but the answer should come before the game tips off tomorrow at 5 p.m.