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Elfrid Payton playing like a top-five point guard in the East

By Joe Buckley

Dec 9, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Orlando Magic guard Elfrid Payton (4) dribbles the basketball up the court during the second half of the game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Suns won 107-104. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 9, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Orlando Magic guard Elfrid Payton (4) dribbles the basketball up the court during the second half of the game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Suns won 107-104. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports /
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Elfrid Payton, Orlando Magic, Brooklyn Nets
Dec 14, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Orlando Magic guard Elfrid Payton (4) shoots the ball during the third quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Orlando Magic won 105-82. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports /

Elfrid Payton’s numbers

As mentioned earlier, the league certainly is not short of other ball handler’s to claim that top spot. If looking at the Eastern Conference starting guards, they being who Payton and the Magic are mainly going to compete with for playoff seedings and ultimately in the playoffs, how good is Payton compared to them?

Here are the numbers compared to Payton’s Eastern Conference peers:

Payton is fifth in assists per game with 6.1 per game. Payton is the youngest in the top 10 by at least three years. Payton is tied for seventh in assist percentage with a 31.1 percent assist rate.

Payton is eighth in steals per game with 1.5 per game. Payton is tied for youngest with Boston’s sophomore Marcus Smart, who has missed several games due to injury.

Payton is fourth in defensive win shares with 1.0 defensive win shares. He is tied for third in defensive box plus-minus.

The numbers are consistent. Payton is in the top 10, if not very near the top, in comparison to other Eastern guards. Not only is he often the youngest in terms of age, but also in terms of experience. Again, he is a quarter of the way through his second season.

So if it is acknowledged Payton is somewhere near the top of the crop, who is he rubbing shoulders with on top of the mountain?

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