Most thought Elfrid Payton‘s season was lost to a sophomore slump. Then, the second-year point guard turned on the jets and gave optimism for what could be next.
A roller coaster of emotions were attached to Elfrid Payton’s 2016 season with the Orlando Magic. With a hamstring injury derailing much of his preseason, the first half of the year was certainly on a decline for the second-year player.
The dreaded sophomore slump was definitely part of Payton’s narrative, and it was helped along all the way by injuries. Once the hamstring ailment was a distant memory, he injured his left ankle in December and re-aggravated it in January, forcing him to miss games for the first time in his career. Further, a right elbow sprain also caused him to miss five games in mid-March.
But following that final setback, Payton went on a rampage. The tide began to turn with a triple double against the Detroit Pistons on March 23.
That game set off a run of five straight double-digit scoring games, something he had not done since early December. He recorded four double doubles in that end-of-season stretch as well.
Payton had just eight 10-plus assist nights in the first four months of the season, but he notched nine in the last month and a half.
After such a rough start to the year, Payton knew he had to show some promise for himself and everyone involved in the Magic’s rebuild before there were no games left to play.
“I always talk about finishing the season on a high note,” said Payton following the Magic’s final home game against the Milwaukee Bucks. “Playing my best ball at the end of the season. That’s just something I tried to focus on.”
It clearly seemed during those late-season performances a new Payton had arrived. Not only was he a better version of the player seen in the first half of the year, but he was probably playing the best basketball of his life.
What changed? Chalk it up to a perfect combination of maturing, adjusting to a new system and finally having his legs under him.
“I think everything just coming together,” said Payton on why he improved. “We’ve been getting out and running a little bit, doing a little more pick and roll. Like you said, being healthy. Getting my rhythm. Just a collection of all kinds of things.”
Much like learning a new playbook taxes a quarterback in football, the difficulty in being able to operate a new coach’s marching orders for a point guard should not be understated. Then magnify the plight when you pair demanding former point guard Scott Skiles with a youngster as his floor general.
There is no question the Skiles-Payton relationship needed an adjustment period. Payton’s health and Skiles’ strict ways demanded much of that adjustment.
The offseason is undoubtedly primed to be hectic for Orlando, but pending a sweetheart deal for a veteran point guard falling into their lap, Skiles likely saw enough at season’s end to give it another run with Payton during a pivotal third season.
“A goal of ours was to play with pace all year,” said Skiles late in the season. “We didn’t get that done. But lately we’ve played with better pace. I think sometimes for young players, it’s still kind of a confusing thing when to push it and when pull it back. We want to push it all the time and hopefully make good decisions. Sometimes it takes time for guys to figure that out.”
Playing faster while playing smart may be Payton’s greatest sign of growth under Skiles, something that took all season for the second-year guard to fully grasp. But that improvement is just a launching point if he wants to reach the level many have speculated is possible.
Payton is well aware of this.
He knows had he been healthier, had he been more ready to execute Skiles objectives, Orlando could still be playing basketball into the Playoffs.
After that final home game, he would not let a reporter even finish his question before confidently declaring there are teams in the postseason that have less talent then the Magic. That feeling, whether accurate or hyperbole, will fuel Payton as he presses for bigger and better this offseason.
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As he parted ways with his second season, Payton certainly already had a check list of what he needed to improve.
“Just continue to become a leader,” said Payton. “Work on my jump shot, work on free throws, my ball handling, my passing. Try and be a better defender. Work on my finishing. There’s a list of things being young right now.”
Come October, the Magic will have to see if Payton has put all these pieces together.