Magic's Payton fit right in as rookie, but shooting must improve
The Orlando Magic have been down this road before, even if Elfrid Payton was not yet born the first time it happened.
In 1993, they pulled off a trade the night of the NBA draft to obtain the rights to little-known Penny Hardaway, whom they envisioned as the successor at point guard to popular veteran Scott Skiles.
Last June, they pulled off a trade the night of the draft to obtain the rights to the little-known Payton, whom they envisioned as the successor at point guard to popular veteran Jameer Nelson.
While Payton doesn't possess the length or offensive skills Hardaway did, the 21-year-old out of Louisiana-Lafayette finished his rookie season with this in common: He played in all 82 of the Magic's games. Even more impressively, his 533 assists -- without having a big man as dominant as Shaquille O'Neal or a 3-point shooter as prolific as Dennis Scott -- were only 11 shy of Hardaway's franchise rookie record.
"Elfrid came in and I thought, all things considered, did a really good job," said general manager Rob Hennigan, who gave up a future first-round and second-round draft pick after Payton was originally taken 10th overall by the Philadelphia 76ers. "It's very challenging for a rookie point guard to come in and play the type of minutes he played. There's such an adjustment period mentally and physically for any type of point guard when you're a rookie, let alone a starting point guard. We saw as the season progressed, he became more comfortable in the way he was operating on the floor."
Payton started the first 10 games of the season, during which the Magic went 4-6. He was brought off the bench by Jacque Vaughn, their coach at the time, for the next 19 games before returning to the starting lineup for good Dec. 21 against the Sixers.
Deciding to pair him with Victor Oladipo, their first-round choice from a year earlier, was not without its rough patches. The Magic had a 5-18 record from just before Christmas until they fired Vaughn in early February and replaced him with one of his assistants, James Borrego. Opposing teams would often back off on Payton and dare him to shoot more than eight or 10 feet away from the basket.
Those shortcomings weren't confined to field-goal attempts. During a loss in March at Boston, the Celtics resorted to deliberately fouling him, a strategy which paid off when Payton missed 11 of his 15 free throws.
But that game was a rare low moment during a month when he averaged 13.2 points and 8.4 assists, numbers which were superior to the ones Payton put up on his way to being named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month in January.
"I'm definitely gaining confidence knowing that I can do it," he said. "Now it's about becoming one of the best guards."
Being among the 28 players in the league not to miss a game and becoming the first Magic player in five years to do so is something he points to with a combination of pride and humility.
"Blessed, honestly," Payton said. "It was by the grace of God that I was able to play all those games injury-free. Hopefully I can continue to do it for the rest of my career."
WHAT HE DID RIGHT
He clearly got better as the season went along, averaging 11.1 points and 8.3 assists in 35.4 minutes after the All-Star break compared to 7.9 points and 5.7 assists in 28.0 minutes before it. Except for the debacle against the Celtics, Payton shot a respectable 36 of 53 (67.9 percent) from the line in March and April. On defense, his 142 steals were the seventh-highest total in the NBA and the most by a Magic player since Darrell Armstrong had 157 in the 2001-02 season.
WHERE HE NEEDS TO IMPROVE
Payton shot only 42.6 percent from the field overall and 38.5 percent in the paint, with that second statistic being particularly telling for someone who attempted 537 shots from 10 feet or less compared to 170 beyond that. "If I can shoot the ball better, it'll open up even more things for me and my teammates," he said. "Every year, you want to try to add something to your game. That could be one of the things." Borrego added that both Payton and Oladipo need to start leading by more than example. "Those two men ... have leadership qualities that we need to see surface more and more this summer," he said.
BEST GAMES
March 18 at Dallas and March 20 vs. Portland. Payton became the first player in Magic history and the seventh rookie in NBA history to record consecutive triple-doubles. He had 15 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds against the Mavericks and followed that up with 22 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds in a win over the Trail Blazers where he also turned the ball over once in 37 minutes and was largely responsible for holding Damian Lillard to two points after halftime.
ADVANCED STATS
13.8 player efficiency rating (based on 15.0 league average), 45.6 true shooting percentage (accounting for free throws and 3-pointers), 18.3 usage rate (possessions used per 40 minutes).
LOOKING AHEAD
After starting in 63 games, compared to eight for fellow first-round pick Aaron Gordon, don't look for more than a cameo appearance from Payton in the Magic's summer league entry in July. "I'll definitely be here," he said. "If I'm playing or if I'm not playing, we'll see. But I'll definitely be here." The second year of his rookie contract is guaranteed at $2.51 million, with the team holding the option for 2016-17.
You can follow Ken Hornack on Twitter @HornackFSFla or email him at khornack32176@gmail.com.
