National Basketball Association

Orlando Magic's changes improve Elfrid Payton's outlook

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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This upcoming season will be Elfrid Payton, the Magic point guard’s third season. He suffered a sophomore slump, will he able to prove he is the guy?

Some would argue the point guard position is the most vital job in the NBA. Creating offense through themselves and their teammates, the point guard is required to be an all-around floor general when it comes to the game of basketball.

In an era where the total of point guards is greater than recent memory, with players such as Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, Damian Lillard and John Wall. The list goes on and on.

With the exception of Jameer Nelson in 2009, the Orlando Magic have not had an All-Star point guard since the Anfernee Hardaway days.

Enter Elfrid Payton.

Orlando valued him highly during the draft, so highly in fact that in the draft night trade, the team gave up the future first round pick they received from Philadelphia in the Dwight Howard trade, sending it back to Philadelphia in the process.

Two years later, many still wonder whether or not Elfrid Payton is the franchise’s point guard for the next decade. He cannot shoot, he is not the biggest stat sheet stuffer, and, granted it has only been two seasons, he has not showcased a breakout moment thus far.

But evidence shows he is overlooked, and is indeed going to be trusted as the franchise floor general for years to come.

After playing in all 82 games his rookie year, Elfrid Payton actually seemed on pace to improve from his second year. That is until he suffered a sprained ankle in December. This caused a bump along the road as Payton never returned to true form.

It was not until the season was already lost for Orlando he seemingly returned to normal, and Orlando was able to rack up additional wins to end the year.

Not only that, but Scott Skiles’ offensive system involved playing Payton more off-ball than he should. That resulted in Payton alone on the perimeter. And, since he has yet been able to develop a respectable jump shot, the player assigned to guard him would instead play help defense. That in turn, made the offense less effective as a whole.

If his statistics are any indication, the Magic can expect another improvement across the board for Payton in his third year.

Already showing improvements, albeit not very substantial, shows promise. He bumped up his 3-point percentage from 26 percent to 32 percent. His 2-point percentage from 43 percent to 45 percent, and his free-throw percentage went from 55 percent to 59 percent.

He also was able to stick around the same attempts from both years, with the exception of the three ball — which went from 42 total attempts to 92.

There is plenty of room for growth.

And the Magic clearly still view Payton as an important part of their team.

Payton was reportedly involved in some of the free agent meetings alongside Aaron Gordon, most notably helping to recruit Bismack Biyombo.

Pitching the direction the team is trying to move, in a system that emphasizes defense and running, is what helped Orlando sign the elite rim protector. Surely having Payton and Gordon in that meeting shows a great deal of admiration that the organization has for both of them.

The trade that sent Victor Oladipo to Oklahoma City for Serge Ibaka may also help Payton continue to develop and grow.

There is more to it than simply trading for a two-time defensive player of the year. Payton and Oladipo could not co-exist on the court at the same time. Orlando simply played better and won more games with Oladipo off the bench with the second unit.

They both had similar weaknesses on the offensive end, and took up the same space on the court. It is one thing to have one defensive and one offensive liability, but two of the same causes a lot of deficiency for court production.

Orlando chose to go with Payton, certainly because they feel he fits the team better, and provides more consistency than Oladipo.

The video below highlights some of the things that makes Payton special, tenacious defense, supreme court vision, and irreplaceable hustle that he provides for the team.

The upcoming season, Payton has a better suited team for him this time around.

Last year, there was hardly any offensive production coming from the point guard spot, and since Payton was the starter, all eyes were on him to pick up the slack. This year, key veteran D.J. Augustin will be able to provide for Payton’s offensive woes. And Payton should feel more comfortable in the offense.

Orlando has more shooters than last year too, returning players such as Nikola Vucevic, Evan Fournier and Mario Hezonja. They already possess above-average shooting for their positions. Coupled along with newcomer Jodie Meeks and Jeff Green, Payton will have the best perimeter shooting team he’s ever had so far.

And Payton has his own improving shot to work on too.

Coach Frank Vogel is already showing confidence in Payton. He told Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel he wants to give Payton the “green light” to shoot more often, at least when he is open.

Vogel also said that if Payton does not shoot when given the opportunity, he can expect to sit.

This bodes as a positive and a negative for Payton, instilling more confidence in him than ever is sure to boost Payton’s morale. Now the question of whether or not he will knock them down at a decent rate remains to be seen.

The Magic can expect Ibaka and Biyombo, two of the best offensive rebounders in the league, to clean up any messes from Payton and the rest of the team.

This season will be a major indicator on what Payton can bring to the team for the next decade. Should he improve on his potentially top-tier defense and playmaking, while also continuing to find a jump shot, Payton may end up becoming one of the top Orlando Magic point guards in history.