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Film Room: Inside Elfrid Payton's Court Vision

Josh Cohen
Digital News Manager

By Josh CohenSept. 22, 2016

Sometimes it seems that Elfrid Payton has eyes in the back of his head. He can be going full force to the rim and still drop a pass off to a teammate trailing behind him. Watch how Payton attracts two defenders as he comes off the pick-and-roll and in the last second dishes off to Nikola Vucevic for the dunk:

Payton times alley-oops as well as anyone in the league. Especially this season with athletic and agile teammates like Aaron Gordon, Serge Ibaka and Bismack Biyombo, Payton will have plenty of opportunities to throw them up toward the rim. Watch how Payton quickly notices that Gordon is ahead of his defender and incites the alley-oop jam:

Payton has an assortment of ways to find teammates. He’s very instinctual and alert. He seems to be two or three steps ahead in his mind and can anticipate how a play will develop. Watch Payton survey the floor and detect that Evan Fournier has a wide open path to the hoop:

Payton is very good at driving along the baseline and keeping an active dribble before finding a teammate to kick out to for a 3-point shot. He waits for defenders to collapse in the paint before whipping a pass out. Watch how Payton tip-toes the baseline and at the perfect moment darts a pass to Fournier for the triple:

Payton is terrific in transition. He’s very good at spotting shooters as they trail from behind or race ahead. With the Magic expected to be an improved 3-point shooting team, Payton should be able to increase his 3-point assists. Watch Payton push the pace and find Mario Hezonja open on the wing: