Elfrid Payton remains large in his absence

Elfrid Payton missed the first game of his career Monday as the Orlando Magic fell again embarrassingly. His absence was noticeably huge in the losses.

For 116 games, Elfrid Payton was a rock. As much of a rock as a rookie and now-second year player can be.

He ran the team effectively and set the tone. Payton even in his second year in the league had become the team’s de facto pulse. The heartbeat of the team in so many ways. That is exactly what a point guard is supposed to be. He is supposed to get the team into its sets and set the tone and tempo for every game.

Payton was not a shooter. His pace and his play is determined by how he gets everyone around him involved. It is rare to find a player as unselfish as Payton. Even rarer to find a player who struggles to shoot to find so much success.

And in the first 30-or-so games of the 2016 season, Payton was as important as any player in the team’s ultimate success.

There has been undeniable slippage throughout the entire team in the last few weeks on offense and defense. The fall was accelerated though when Elfrid Payton sprained his ankle last week against the New Orleans Pelicans.

In the second quarter of that game, Nikola Vucevic was knocked to the floor in front of Payton and rolled onto his ankle. Payton limped around and then left the game. He finished it without an assist for the first time in his career.

He returned because that is what Payton does. He sheepishly avoided questions about his health and got ready to play the next game.

Things seemed to get doubled down Wednesday when, clearly playing on a hurt ankle to the point where he logged only five minutes before Scott Skiles decided to pull him.

He gave it a go again Friday against Washington. He got kicked in the shin of course, further hurting him. And he tried to play again Saturday against Cleveland.

The results in two of those three games were disastrous. Even the win over Brooklyn though was shaky. There was some disappointment and frustration with a slow effort in the beginning of the win over the Nets.

Payton at less than 100 percent — far less than 100 percent — was clearly affecting the team.

With Payton on the floor, the Magic are mediocre. They post a 100.7 offensive rating and 102.1 defensive rating with him on the floor. However, their assist percentage, the ratio of field goals they make that are assisted, leaps to 60.2 percent. The team is only better passing with Channing Frye on the floor.

Since the lineup change (which is as good a dividing line as any), the Magic have a 107.2 offensive rating and 101.9 defensive rating. Like most of the Magic players, the team has been much more successful.

In the games since Payton sprained his ankle (the last week), the Magic have cratered on both sides of the ball. Much more than they were already. The team has a 99.2 offensive rating and 108.6 defensive rating.

It is a small sample size. There is a huge outlier in the mix too — that Cavaliers game was pretty bad statistically. Then again, so was Monday’s game against the Pistons.

In that first game without Elfrid Payton since he was drafted, the Magic posted a 96.9 offensive rating and 128.9 defensive rating. Payton’s absence was certainly not 100 percent responsible. The team played with little energy and was struggling from the beginning of the game to put any resistance up for the Pistons.

There was an aesthetic nature to Payton’s absence too.

Victor Oladipo played fine. He had one of his best individual performances of the season, efficiently attacking the basket and patiently waiting for the time to go up for his shot. It was encouraging to see from him.

But Orlando too failed to move the ball, just as they did against Washington and against Cleveland in the two games prior. The Magic had just a 47.2 percent assist rate. Well below the 55-60 percent the team usually averages. The ball was not moving and that killed the offense.

From a visual standpoint, the Magic lacked that rock they have become accustomed to. That would be Payton.

There were not the same controlled, probing forays into the lane. The delicate floater that always seems to go down. The quick passes to the perimeter for Channing Frye or Evan Fournier or drop offs to Nikola Vucevic.

The wheel that is the Magic cutting offense off the pick and roll was slowed considerably.

Again, Payton’s return is not going to fix all the Magic’s problems. He is not some panacea. The team has a lot of questions it has to ask itself after these three games.

Next: Orlando Magic outhustled, outworked in loss to Detroit Pistons

It is also clear though, the team is missing its heartbeat and its steady, guiding hand. And the sooner they get that back, the sooner they get back on the right path.