Orlando Magic Daily
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Why Elfrid Payton is set to be most improved

By David Iwanowski

Apr 10, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic guard Elfrid Payton (4) points from the court against the Toronto Raptors during the second quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 10, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic guard Elfrid Payton (4) points from the court against the Toronto Raptors during the second quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 10, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic guard Elfrid Payton (4) shoots a three pointer against the Toronto Raptors during the second half at Amway Center. Toronto Raptors defeated the Orlando Magic 101-99. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 10, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic guard Elfrid Payton (4) shoots a three pointer against the Toronto Raptors during the second half at Amway Center. Toronto Raptors defeated the Orlando Magic 101-99. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Shooting: Room for improvement

When most people evaluate Payton as a player, the first thing that stands out to them is his sub-par jump shooting abilities.

His 42.5/26.2/55.1 shooting splits do not look very good. He shot 31.3 percent off pull-up jumpers and 30.6 percent off catch-and-shoot opportunities, though he did hit about one-third of his catch-and-shoot 3-point opportunities.

He hit 42.9 percent of his 3-point attempts from the right corner and a third of his attempts from the left corner, but there was too small of a sample size to tell if that was a true sign of strength (only 13 attempts).

Payton should definitely look to improve his shooting, but he will focus on succeeding in other aspects of the game to help his team as much as he can.

Payton’s biggest role on offense is as a facilitator. He averaged 6.5 assists per game last season, and averaged 8.4 assists in March and April.

He assisted on more than 31 percent of his teammates field goals when on the court.

According to Vantage Sports, he was 11th in the NBA in passes to shot attempts and 11th in Assists+, which factors in assists as well as passes to missed open shots and passes to shooting fouls. After the All-Star break he was fifth in Assists+.

He makes the right plays that the team needs, and that is why his presence helps the team significantly.

Next: Improvements on defense