Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II is expected to return from an elbow fracture as early as Game 1 of the NBA Finals, sources told Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Payton, 29, sustained the fracture during Game 2 of his team's second-round series against the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Warriors will host Game 1 of The Finals on June 2 against either the Miami Heat or the Boston Celtics. The Celtics currently lead the Eastern Conference finals 3-2 and have a chance to close out the series Friday night at TD Garden.
Payton averaged 7.1 points in 17.6 minutes over 71 games during the regular season. Jonathan Kuminga and Kevon Looney saw their minutes increase in his absence during Golden State's Western Conference finals matchup against the Dallas Mavericks.
