Elfrid Payton’s humility driving success
Elfrid Payton has not let off the accelerator as this season winds to its close for the woeful Orlando Magic.
Elfrid Payton started out the five-game home stand in impressive fashion, outplaying two-time All-Star and former Rookie of the Year Damian Lillard, but that was not a prelude to what was to come over what was a difficult stretch for the Orlando Magic, losing badly to Denver, Atlanta, San Antonio—and even the Detroit Pistons.
In none of those games, however, did Payton let off the pedal, and James Borrego has been impressed with his drive to play all 82 games in the schedule.
“We see a lot of players and most can’t play 82 games,” Borrego said. “He’s at work every day it speaks to who he is and our group found a guy who exemplifies what we want to be.”
Borrego’s shining confidence in Payton is very warranted. He is trying to handle the Rookie of the Year hype with grace, and according to coach Borrego, he is.
Coach Borrego cited Payton as “humble” and “grounded” explaining that his hot play and gaudy statistics have not inflated his ego, adding that it is a credit to his upbringing and likely the result of great parents.
All of this about Payton is great, because the Magic may have snagged the talent of the draft in the late lottery. While a top-two pick would have been ideal to snag a budding superstar like Jabari Parker or Andrew Wiggins, the draft was saved by acquiring Payton from the Philadelphia 76ers. General manager Rob Hennigan got his guy.
At this point, it is much easier to say Hennigan is a great talent scout than a great GM. He has nailed most of his draft picks, and though the jury is still out on Aaron Gordon, it has all but emerged with a unanimous endorsement of Payton.
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It is a stretch to think he can beat out Wiggins for the Rookie of the Year award, but that is really an irrelevant honor when it shall be awarded primarily on the basis of scoring.
Of the three rookies up for the award, Wiggins, Nerlens Noel and Payton, none are really on good teams. Minnesota has underachieved, and other than Wiggins seems to lack direction (especially given Ricky Rubio‘s desire for a max-contract).
Noel has been a defensive demon on a horrible Sixers team, making his impact both exaggerated and hard to quantify.
So it comes down to Payton and his work ethic. His jumper will be a work in progress, but his ability to penetrate defenses indicates a high level of play is entirely within reach.
Payton keeps control of his dribble, works hard, and hopefully the teammates begin to follow suit.
Borrego said Payton “exemplifies what we want to be.”
It is very hard to disagree with that notion.
As the season winds down, do not expect Payton to mail in lackluster efforts like some of his teammates did in the loss to the San Antonio Spurs on April 2.
Payton might be playing for something (Rookie of the Year), while other Magic players are attempting to play for contract statuses. Either way, effort is imperative and Payton has given that throughout an otherwise drab year of seemingly gross underachievement.
Borrego’s confidence is echoed around the league, and soon we may see Payton not just playing good basketball but also leading the league in assists and steals.
It is difficult to do now with the roster construction, but when he has better options to dish the rock to, it should follow that he climbs high in the assist totals.
All of this would ensure Rookie of the Year status, but that is not really what matters at this point. It is just getting better. And that has yet to be seen, except in the wild haired rookie who is determined to ensure the Magic play hard.