The Orlando Magic’s style change to a smaller, transition-based offense has benefited point guard Elfrid Payton in a devastating way for opponents.
Sometimes a player gets to break the rules when they are doing something so right. Sometimes a player need to break the rules to ensure his team wins. Finding that line is always difficult.
Something has come over Elfrid Payton since the All-Star Break making those rules seem irrelevant. Payton is making his own rules these days. And breaking them as he sees fit to benefit his team.
This mix of style and changing roles has Payton in control of a team that is quickly improving. Improving because of Payton.
It happened late in Wednesday’s game against the Chicago Bulls. Payton lurked around the paint after giving up the ball and when it came off with no one around him, he attacked the glass to save the possession and get a rebound.
He could then circle around and find someone else open to make the basket and help the Magic seal the victory.
For once, the Magic were OK with Payton not getting back on defense and attacking the glass on the offensive end. The plan worked as Payton grabbed six offensive rebounds.
Payton was in complete control. And he was going to will the team to victory.
"“I just did not want to have another bad performance,” Payton said. “We were disappointed with how we closed the game out against New York. We wanted to redeem ourselves.“I’m just playing. A new lineup, playing faster. I think it fits the style of talent that we have in here. I think we all benefit from it.”"
Elfrid Payton has back-to-back triple-doubles for the second time in his career after willing the Orlando Magic to a 98-91 win over the Chicago Bulls at Amway Center on Wednesday. He finished the triple-double deed in the third quarter on his way to 22 points and a career-high 14 rebounds and career-high-tying 14 assists.
He was the reason for the Magic being in the game after falling behind by 13 points. He was, frankly, the reason Orlando was even down by no more than 13 to begin with.
Orlando Magic
No player has taken to the Magic’s new fast-break, small-ball style quite like Payton, flirting with triple-doubles in most of the team’s past seven outings. Regularly, Payton is a machine getting out in transition and attacking the basket, drawing the defense in and dishing it out.
Orlando can say the team is playing better a lot because Payton is the one driving the engine.
"“He’s found a great rhythm,” Aaron Gordon said. “So many different options on the floor, he can pick and choose what he wants. What also he is doing well is he is reading the flow of the game. So if somebody scores something or somebody has not gotten a touch in a while, he makes sure to get them the ball in the right position to score. And all they have to do is do what they naturally do.”"
Payton has truly taken his game to another level.
Since the All-Star Break, Payton is averaging 13.0 points per game, 7.9 rebounds per game and 7.3 assists per game. He is shooting 57.4 percent from the floor — and noticeably fewer jumpers, only 17 of his 61 field goal attempts have occurred outside the restricted area — and he is getting to the line more — 4.0 free throw attempts per game since the break compared to 2.5 per game for the season.
Even beyond the numbers, Payton looks like a much more comfortable and aggressive player. The Magic’s decision to go small has unleashed him in transition more, where he uses his speed and instincts to cut through the defense and take up all available space. The space adding another perimeter shot has provided Payton with better driving lanes to attack and dish.
This space has helped Payton tremendously. And Payton has stayed patient, attacking to create more than score. It seems to be a much more natural fit for him.
"“I just love that he is playing with confidence,” coach Frank Vogel told Orlando Magic Daily after shootaround Wednesday. “It hasn’t always looked that way this year. He’s been in attack mode. Everyone benefits from space, but the point guard benefits from space more than that. The rebounds are about hustle. When he has the space and the opportunity, he is capable of getting double-digit points and double-digit assists.”"
Payton has triple-doubles in his last two games, but came two assists shy of a triple-double against the Miami Heat and then a rebound and an assist shy against the Atlanta Hawks. Flirting with triple-doubles has become commonplace for the Magic’s new all-time leader in that category.
It seems Payton has controls of the levers more than he did before. Space has suited him, as has this offense.
But it has helped many on the Magic roster. Payton said the offense has benefited Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier too by giving them more space to operate. Payton said he feels comfortable in the system, but the system seems to benefit everyone.
Evan Fournier said the team is having fun again. The style does indeed fit everyone.
And it seems to have unlocked the potential the Magic saw in Payton for so long. He is a devastating paint attacker and distributor, able to direct traffic even without a jump shot. He made the Bulls pay time and time again. And when he was on the break, it did not even matter if Robin Lopez was there to defend the rim.
The always modest Payton said he was not aware of the stats he was racking up. He was just trying to help the team win in whatever way he could. But this was different. He was willing his team to victory.
"“I thought tonight was even more impressive than [Monday] night,” Evan Fournier said. “EP carried us tonight. He was making every right play down the court and being aggressive and just being EP, scrambling defensively, rebounding and just fighting.“I thought the biggest thing was the tempo and the way he pushed the ball offensively. That’s how we get our rhythm. We have a smaller lineup now and we should take advantage of it.”"
The Magic have missed a player who could will his team to a victory. A closer or even a player who would not allow the team to fall behind too often without a fight.
Payton is showing some of that fight. He willed his team into the game Wednesday and brought everyone up with him. That is what a good point guard can do.
It is unclear whether this is something that can last.
Next: Grades: Orlando Magic 98, Chicago Bulls 91
But seemingly in the wake of the Magic’s offensive shift, Payton has been unleashed to play at an incredibly high level.