We conclude SportsFansSpeak’s Top 10 draft profiles with Elfrid Payton. The number 10 pick in this year’s draft, acquired by the Orlando Magic in a trade that sent their 12th pick Dario Saric and some future picks to the Philadelphia 76ers. Drafting Elfrid Payton seemed to be in the works for the Orlando Magic regardless of where they picked. Rob Hennigan, the general manager of the Magic, said this on the night of the draft: “Elfrid, going into the draft, was someone we had targeted... We love his toughness, competitiveness and desire to play defense.”
The young Louisiana Lafayette point guard will do just that. With Jameer Nelson not returning to the magic this year, I believe that the Orlando Magic will begin Payton’s career by immediately throwing him in the ringer alongside Victor Oladipo. I think this will be the quickest way for the Magic to rebuild and grow their franchise. Payton’s a true pass-first point guard and he’s totally unselfish in his play. His presence on the court should free Oladipo to start playing his true position as a SG, and this will change a lot for the Magic next season. Oladipo made it clear last year with his many turnovers that he isn't a point guard. I think many fans are excited to see how Oladipo will improve next season as the young guards take the backcourt.
Payton has a good quickness to his game. He see’s the open lanes and has a decent finish to the rim. However, his quickness will need to adjust to the pace of the NBA game. This isn’t the Sun Belt conference anymore, and the level of competition is much greater obviously. It was clear that he struggled with the pace in his first Summer League game and he admitted that he was thrown off a little, but it was nice to see him quickly adjust in the next couple of games. He will also need to improve some of his ball handling skills. There were a lot of plays last year where he would drive to the basket, but have it easily picked away. Like what he has shown us in the Summer League, he’ll need to improve these PG skills as he hits the actual floor next season, but I think he’ll eventually get there.
My biggest worry about Payton isn’t his ball-handling skills, nor his ability to get to the rim in the NBA. It’s his shooting. He struggled everywhere to shoot last year. He clocked in only 14-of-54 3 pointers with a dismal shooting percentage of 25.9%. His mid-range jumpers also suffered, making only 17-of-66 (25.8%). His free throw shooting is flat, and has never reached 65%. He still found a way to make buckets for the Ragin Cajuns, where he averaged 19.2 points a game, but if that shooting doesn’t improve he’ll have a hard time keeping a starting job in the NBA.
His biggest strength is his defense, and I think this trait of his will translate the quickest to the NBA. Admittedly his numbers were put up against a lower competition, but all the right tools are there. He finds a way to disrupt plays with his quick hands. Last year he averaged an impressive 2.6 steals per game, and earned the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the year. He plays close to the ball, get’s over screens well, and puts on a lot of pressure when he’s guarding. Again, he’ll need to adjust to the pace of NBA PG play, but he will do so quickly. I think his defense alone is what makes him such a valuable piece to the Magic.
Overall, I really like this pick for the Magic, and I think he gives the Magic a good chance to rebuild a potentially scary team. He’ll struggle to adjust to the pace of the game as i mentioned before, but he has a lot of upside to his game that i believe will transition well into the NBA. That upside is a good trait to have in this league. It's clear that he's a good humble kid, and it's hard not to like the afro he's got going on.
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