Magic notes: After magnificent March, Payton looks to close strong
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Elfrid Payton has eight games remaining to build on a March which vaulted the Orlando Magic point guard into serious consideration for NBA Rookie of the Year honors.
Payton averaged 13.2 points, 8.4 assists and 5.9 rebounds in 34.9 minutes while shooting 45.8 percent over a 14-game span, all of which were personal bests for him in any month. Andrew Wiggins, the Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard who was the top pick in the draft and is considered the leading Rookie of the Year candidate, averaged 17.9 points on 42.9-percent shooting in March. The Magic will face him and the Timberwolves on Friday night in Minnesota.
Their game Wednesday night against the San Antonio Spurs could serve as a measuring stick to how Payton compares to six-time All-Star Tony Parker. When Parker was a rookie with the Spurs in 2001-02, he averaged only 9.2 points, 4.3 assists and 2.6 rebounds while making 41.9 percent of his shots in 77 games, including 72 starts.
"He's a good example for Elfrid," Magic interim coach James Borrego said. "Shooting was not Tony's strength coming in, and he found a way to impact the game on multiple levels, even without a great jump shot. He's developed into a very good shooter now, a more consistent shooter. And our goal and our challenge for Elfrid is to do the same thing."
Payton is coming off a career-high 13-assist performance with only two turnovers Friday night when the Magic were defeated by the Detroit Pistons. The 31 assists were two shy of the team's high in that category for the season, also set against the Pistons.
Payton, who has appeared in all 74 of the Magic's games with 55 starts, needs 78 assists to tie Penny Hardaway for the franchise's highest single-season total by a rookie.
"It's just playing with these guys more and knowing where they like the ball and where they can be successful," he said. "They still have to make the shots, though. It's a credit to them."
Payton has gotten better at hitting the floating jump shot in the lane, which has been part of Parker's offensive repertoire for more than a decade. But he shrugged off the suggestion that Parker is someone he can model his game after.
"I try to take a little bit from everybody, no one person," he said.
MARBLE MAKES APPEARANCE
Guard Devyn Marble was warmly greeted by Borrego and several players Wednesday morning after the rookie made a rare appearance at the team's practice facility. Marble underwent surgery March 10 to repair a detached retina in his left eye and has been on the Magic's inactive list since even before the operation.
"It's just been a rough time, with the injuries and the family stuff," Marble said, mentioning the death of his grandmother which caused him to head north for several days. "So just being able to be back in the gym like this is therapeutic medicine."
With only two weeks remaining in the season, and with him being under doctor's orders for now to avoid strenuous exercise for at least the next week, Marble said he doubts he'll be able to practice or play before the Magic's final game April 15 at Brooklyn. He still can't wear a contact lens in the eye but said he feels fine physically.
"The vision is starting to come back," he said.
In other health-related Magic news, Borrego said there was "an 80, 90 percent shot" that forward Dewayne Dedmon will be in uniform against the Spurs after a sore left ankle left him unavailable in the 111-97 loss to the Pistons. Despite the four-day layoff since that game, the Magic will remain without guard Evan Fournier, who has not played since Feb. 25 because of a sore right hip.
BORREGO ON POPOVICH
After spending seven seasons with the Spurs, starting as an assistant video coordinator and ending up as an assistant on Gregg Popovich's staff, Borrego was looking forward to matching wits with a coach who has five championships and more than 1,000 victories to his credit.
And, yes, Borrego claims Popovich can be quite witty beneath his gruff exterior.
"He's got a great sense of humor," he said. "He's a really funny guy. And he keeps us all on our toes. But he's got a big heart, a really big heart. He loves people, loves his staff, loves his players. I know he looks a certain way on the court, but he does care."
The only previous meeting this season against the Spurs turned out to be the final game Jacque Vaughn coached for the Magic. He was fired the day after their 10th loss in a row. The Magic's record under Borrego is 7-15.
You can follow Ken Hornack on Twitter @HornackFSFla or email him at khornack32176@gmail.com.
