Could Orlando’s Elfrid Payton be Toast of 2014 Rookie Class?

It was billed the Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker sweepstakes. Anything but a top-2 pick would not suffice for teams in the tanking sweepstakes to land one of the two franchise rookies in the 2014 class, but lost amid the shuffle was a wild-haired late lottery pick who might end up being the best of the crop when the dust settles upon this season.

Flashback to the 2014 NBA Draft: The Orlando Magic land the No. 4 overall selection and a No. 12 pick owed from the Dwight Howard deal.

Many fans are desiring GM Rob Hennigan to snatch a promising Australian by the name of Dante Exum to fill the team’s point guard need. Marcus Smart of Oklahoma State is on everyone’s radar, too, as the guy Orlando supposedly wanted in 2013 before he returned to the NCAA.

Either one of these floor generals could make Orlando’s backcourt, many reasoned.

But Hennigan had an entirely different trick up his sleeve, and that ace in the hole may end up being what has defined this otherwise forgettable Magic season.

The Magic flipped the No. 12 pick in a deal with Philadelphia for No. 10 overall pick Elfrid Payton, and since the very beginning expectations began to run high for Elfrid. Immediately, comparisons were thrown out of Gary Payton for the UL-Layfayette product’s “sky-high upside.”

The jury is still out on whether he is Hall of Fame-good, but as of this juncture the further comparisons to perennial All-Star Rajon Rondo are most certainly becoming more lucid as the lanky guard stretches past defenders with each cuff of the ball.

Next: How Elfrid Payton impacts a game