{"id":10174,"date":"2017-09-26T15:03:30","date_gmt":"2017-09-26T19:03:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnba.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=10174"},"modified":"2017-09-26T15:03:30","modified_gmt":"2017-09-26T19:03:30","slug":"elfrid-paytons-value-orlando-magic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2017\/09\/26\/elfrid-paytons-value-orlando-magic\/","title":{"rendered":"Elfrid Payton’s Value to the 2017-18 Orlando Magic"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 2014 draft is memorable for a few reasons. The Cleveland Cavaliers<\/a> selected\u00a0<\/span>Andrew Wiggins<\/a><\/b> first overall, and subsequently sent him to the Minnesota Timberwolves<\/a> to build a new big three for LeBron James<\/a><\/strong>. Philadelphia<\/a> watched an injured but talented <\/span>Joel Embiid<\/a><\/b> fall into their laps. And\u00a0<\/span>Bruno Caboclo<\/a><\/b>\u00a0was drafted even though he was two years away from being two years away.<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=OgmILBHk1D8&disable_polymer=true<\/p>\n

Not many people remember it as the draft where the Magic traded up<\/a> in order to get the person they believed would be their starting point guard of the future, <\/span>Elfrid Payton<\/a><\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

New Orleans Roots<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The first thing you notice about Payton is his hair. Seems easy enough. He isn\u2019t a physical standout the way Embiid is. He doesn\u2019t possess the athleticism that Wiggins or <\/span>Aaron Gordon<\/a><\/b> jump off of the screen with. There isn\u2019t much about Payton that fans or those around the NBA can point to and say, \u201c<\/span>that\u2019s<\/span><\/i> what makes Elfrid Payton elite.\u201d That might be the thing that makes Payton so divisive for everyone. There doesn\u2019t seem to be much agreement on what makes him standout other than his hair.<\/span><\/p>\n

After reading through a great article about Payton<\/a> from Sam Tabachnik, it starts to become more clear that Payton\u2019s playing style is more of a reflection of his personality, rather than a reflection of what skills he may or may not possess. Growing up in New Orleans, Payton excelled in math and getting his teammates better shots. Tabachnik also noted in his article that Elfrid Payton Sr. would even become frustrated with how often Jr. was looking to get another player a shot rather than taking his own.<\/span><\/p>\n

College and Draft<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Payton lacked major national attention coming out of high school. Again, this could possibly be the result of his natural instinct to incorporate others, rather than attempting to prove himself as a scoring threat at point guard. The only Division 1 offer Payton received was from <\/span>The University of Louisiana Lafayette<\/a>. At ULL, Payton took himself from a low priority recruit to a potential NBA lottery pick in three seasons. The message again coming out was that Payton would be a great distributer and would elevate the players around him.<\/span><\/p>\n

Up to his time entering the NBA, there was rarely a scouting report that highlighted Payton\u2019s shooting ability. He has almost always been known as a pass first point guard, that could potentially develop into a scorer. Magic fans should accept the possibility that this is <\/span>and was<\/span><\/i> his destiny.<\/span><\/p>\n

Strengths From Last Season<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Looking back on the 2016-2017 season isn\u2019t a great experience for the Magic. There were few positives to take away other than managing to get <\/span>Terrence Ross<\/a><\/b> for the embarrassing mistake that was the <\/span>Serge Ibaka<\/a><\/b> trade. Looking at Elfrid Payton\u2019s season nets few positives as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

Reading through each of Payton\u2019s +\/- totals<\/a> is like riding a rollercoaster. You\u2019re going up, down, it\u2019s all happening really fast, and you feel like throwing up a few times. The Magic lacked offensive consistency and Frank Vogel struggled to find a successful lineup given his glut of big men. Payton and the entire team suffered from this inconsistency. Payton did have the <\/span>best<\/span><\/i> run of the season during the last 20 or so games.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When the team\u2019s lineup makes sense (doesn\u2019t have Gordon attempting to play the 3), Payton is able to display his potentially <\/span>elite<\/span><\/i> playmaking ability. In a season where triple doubles were being tracked by the day, Payton was able to get five. This might not be an eye popping number when <\/span>Russell Westbrook<\/a><\/b> is in the 40\u2019s, but it shows flashes of Payton\u2019s potential. <\/span><\/p>\n

Making Everyone Else Better<\/strong><\/h3>\n

David Morrow highlighted that during the 2016-2017 season the Magic shot at a more efficient clip with Payton.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Elfrid Payton's numbers are pretty impressive, all in all. pic.twitter.com\/W4puuOQvug<\/a><\/p>\n

— David Morrow (@_DavidMorrow) September 6, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n