2017 Orlando Magic Player Outlook: Elfrid Payton

What could go wrong

While a lot can go right for Payton this year, it is not hard to see how it can go horribly wrong for him.

If Payton cannot grow into a good defender, he may fall out of favor with yet another head coach.

Payton struggled to play team defense last season, especially against the pick and roll, and the team suffered.

There were a few issues with Payton’s perimeter defense last season, and he may very well not improve there.

Often times he would not feel confident in his help defense, and would then play back on guards. That would then give them space to shoot, see open teammates or find other lanes to the basket.

If Payton does not increase his intensity pressuring at the perimeter, those problems may not go away.

He also needs to improve his defensive awareness to know the right play, the right spot and the right moves when guarding away from the ball.

Sometimes it was just an energy issue, where he would simply not fight hard enough over screens to prevent a play.

Those are very fixable issues that he should be expected to fix. However, if he does not, we may see more plays like this:

Perimeter defense is a big reason the Magic trusted Payton as their starting point guard of the future. If he cannot bring that, they may reconsider that role for him.

Offensively, Payton could struggle if he does not find holes to the basket. The paint clogging and lack of shooting this roster may bring could highlight that problem for him.

If teams do not respect the shooting ability from the wing, they will pack in the paint and make it harder for Payton and the bigs to work.

That is where his lack of shooting could absolutely hurt the offense. It would not be a big deal if he were playing with teammates who could spread the defense. But the Magic roster may not do that for opposing defenses.

If he cannot attack the basket, he may struggle so much offensively that they opt to use D.J. Augustin at the point more often.

Payton has the potential to struggle doing the things the team needs him to do. If that is the case, the Magic may opt to move on from him.

This season could see his numbers stay put at about where they were last season — about 10 points and seven assists per game. This will only look worse if he cannot add anything on the defensive side.

This season is important for Payton’s future. If he does not succeed, he may cost himself a lot of money and a starting role going forward.

Next: The mini-contract year