By John Denton
March 20, 2015
ORLANDO – Undoubtedly, Orlando Magic point guard Elfrid Payton earned himself a few more fans with a Wednesday night performance that turned into being the first triple-double of his NBA career.
Long before Wednesday, Portland Trail Blazers all-star point guard Damian Lillard was already a fan of Payton’s because he identified with his small-school roots and his gritty style of play.
In the days leading up to last June’s NBA Draft, Lillard came out in support of Payton being the sleeping giant of a 2015 class that included higher profile players such as Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker.
And after Orlando traded up to get Payton with the No. 10 pick and the point guard thrived in summer action, Lillard again threw his support behind the Magic’s rookie point guard, saying: ``In Elfrid I saw a player with great size and length and I loved how he played the game. When I sat back and watched him play, I just said to myself, `Wow, that’s a NBA player.’ A lot of times you can’t see that in college players. Some of them have all of the hype, but you just can’t see pro potential in them. But with Elfrid, I knew he would be good at the NBA level.’’
As he tends to be quite often, Lillard was right on the mark with his prediction of Payton being a big hit at the pro level. Soon, Payton and Lillard could share another common trait: They could both be NBA Rookie of the Year award winners. Lillard won the 2013 award, while Payton is making a strong late push to take the top rookie honors in 2015.
Payton and Lillard will do battle tonight when the Magic (21-49) host the Trail Blazers (44-22) at the Amway Center at 7. Payton, who was fed articles about Lillard’s small-school rise to the NBA while in college, said on Friday that the support Lillard gave him before the draft and over the summer meant the world to him.
``It gave me a little bit of confidence. He didn’t have to do that. It’s not like he’s with the same agency as me, so it kind of made it feel like it was sincere,’’ admitted Payton, who had 15 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds on Wednesday. ``It helped me a little bit.’’
Tonight’s game will also feature the Orlando return of Arron Aflalo, who played for the Magic for two seasons before he was traded to the Denver Nuggets last June. Afflalo was Orlando’s leading scorer each of the past two seasons, but he was dealt because the Magic wanted to acquire a young asset the quality of Evan Fournier and because Afflalo had a desire to be on a team that was in the playoff hunt.
Afflalo, who was traded from Denver to Portland in February just before the NBA trade deadline, had a big influence on the young players in the Magic locker room, especially 21-year-old small forward Maurice Harkless, whose locker was beside of Afflalo’s.
``He was different to me because we talked all of the time. We were right next to each other in the locker room and we lived steps away from one another,’’ Harkless said, referring to Afflalo’s reputation of being quiet and shy. ``I would talk to him all of the time and we would go out to dinner all the time. He was a great teammate.’’
Harkless, who had 18 points, six rebounds and four steals in Wednesday’s 107-102 loss to Dallas, will likely be the starter again at small forward with Tobias Harris hobbled by a sprained ankle. At some point, Harkless will likely be matched up against Afflalo on the wing and the yapping at one another should be lively.
``It will be a lot of fun because we used to talk junk in practice,’’ Harkless said. ``Actually a couple of weeks ago, (Afflalo) called me and was talking a little junk. So tonight should be a lot of fun.’’
Payton has let his play do his talking of late, putting up the best numbers of his young career in March. Over the past 10 games, Payton has averaged 12.4 points, 7.9 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 1.7 steals a night while playing 34.4 minutes a game. He nearly notched his first triple-double last Sunday against Cleveland (13 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds) and he finally got over the hump on Wednesday night.
``The command of the team and the respect of the guys has grown with Elfrid,’’ Magic interim coach James Borrego said. ``He looks like the point guard, he feels like the point guard and he is our point guard. So there’s just a confidence about him offensively and defensively. His shot is getting better as is his ability to get to the rim and finish. He’s been great and he’s a much more confident kid right now.’’
Payton, who only recently turned 21 years old, became only the second Magic rookie to register a triple-double, joining Victor Oladipo (2014) and Penny Hardaway (1994). Also, it’s the 20th triple-double in the Magic’s 26-year history.
For the season, Payton is averaging 8.5 points, 6.1 assists, 4.0 assists and 1.5 steals a game. He’s scored in double figures in each of the past eight games and he’s hit a 3-pointer – a sign of his growing confidence – in three of the past four games.
Could those numbers be good enough to help Payton win the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award? Wiggins was the preseason favorite to win the award and he’s been solid while averaging 15.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.1 steals a game. Clearly, Payton is gaining on the leaders and could ultimately become the winner of the rookie award as his confidence on the court continues to build.
``I just think it’s from experience and that’s helping me get more comfortable out there playing,’’ Payton said. ``That (experience) is making me better.’’
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