(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

The Golden State Warriors’ dynasty and hold over the NBA is seemingly fading by the day, and this could be the season in which their reign over the basketball world truly ends in earnest.

Klay Thompson, the five-time All-Star guard, is clearly a shadow of his pre-injury self, Andrew Wiggins, an All-Star starter two seasons ago, is struggling and Draymond Green is still serving an indefinite suspension after hitting the Phoenix Suns’ Jusuf Nurkic.

But now, the Warriors have a new problem.

Gary Payton II, a key reserve guard, sustained a strained hamstring, and according to Shams Charania, he will miss the next several weeks, per The Rally.

"I'm told he (Gary Payton II) is going to miss several weeks with a left hamstring strain."

NBA Insider @ShamsCharania updates us on Payton's injury. pic.twitter.com/FaHcRb46AP

— The Rally (@TheRally) January 3, 2024

Payton was an important contributor to the Warriors’ last championship team in 2022, and after signing with the Portland Trail Blazers shortly afterward, he returned to Golden State in a midseason trade last year.

His ability to hit 3-pointers and defend, not to mention his leaping ability, has infused the team’s bench with energy and productivity over the last couple of years.

He is the son of Hall of Fame guard Gary Payton, who was known as one of the NBA’s elite guards, especially on the defensive end, throughout the 1990s and early 2000s.

Golden State has a 16-17 record and is in 11th place in the Western Conference, and if the regular season ended today, they wouldn’t even qualify for the play-in tournament.

There doesn’t seem to be any quick or easy fix for their troubles, and it looks like their success has simply run its course by now.

The post Insider Says Key Warriors Player Will Miss Several Weeks appeared first on The Cold Wire.