Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Orlando Magic. All opinions expressed by John Denton are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Orlando Magic or their Basketball Operations staff, partners or sponsors.
By John Denton
Jan. 29, 2016
BOSTON – Elfrid Payton and Mario Hezonja became fast friends on the Orlando Magic – a fact that some might find odd considering that the 21-year-old point guard is from Louisiana and the 20-year-old shooting guard hails from Croatia.
But the two are usually inseparable away from the basketball court and almost always together talking basketball in the Magic locker room. When Hezonja didn’t yet have a car during his first few weeks in Orlando, he depended on Payton – his neighbor in downtown Orlando – for rides to and from practice and games. Teammates jokingly referred to Payton as, ``Mario’s Uber.’’
In a couple of weeks, the two close friends will be able to share the NBA All-Star Weekend experience together. But because they will be on different teams in the ``USA vs. The World’’ format for the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge, Payton and Hezonja will be opposing one another. And they fully expect some playful trash talk to ensue.
``It will be fun to get out there and compete against him,’’ Payton said. ``Sometimes we play around (with trash talk), playing one-on-one and stuff, so it will be a lot of fun for both of us.’’
It will be Payton’s second straight year of playing in the game that features first- and second-year NBA players. Last season, fellow Magic guard Victor Oladipo helped Payton make a smooth transition from college to the NBA and he ultimately finished fourth in the NBA’s Rookie of the Year voting. This year, Payton has tried to do the same for Hezonja, who speaks fluent English, but occasionally has questions because this is his first extended stay in the United States.
``It started off a little rough for him, like it does with any rookie, but he’s doing a good job of taking the whole thing one day at a time,’’ Payton said. ``He’s learning as much as he can. This is his first time being in the states and I think he’s done well with it. We teach him things about music and certain slang (phrases). He’s good at asking questions when he hears something on TV, or coach might say something, or he hears something in casual conversation, and he’ll come and ask me and I try to help him out. He does a good job of learning it himself, but he’s not shy about asking questions. That’s a very good thing.’’
TEAM BONDING: With some extra time off in Boston, the Magic coaches and players got together as a group on Wednesday night for a team dinner, compliments of head coach Scott Skiles. The event was actually scheduled many weeks ago, but the gathering came at a good time for team that limped into New England feeling the effects of a seven-game losing streak and a skid that has covered nearly four weeks.
Nikola Vucevic, the Magic’s leading scorer, rebounder and shot-blocker this season, said team meal at a Boston-area steak house allowed the squad some time to bond and take their minds off basketball for a bit.
``Coach (Skiles) said that it was something that he planned to do a long time ago, so it just happened that it came during this moment,’’ Vucevic said, referring to the Magic’s recent struggles. ``But team dinners like that are always good because you don’t talk too much about basketball. Well, expect for Channing (Frye), who always talks about basketball. It helps the team chemistry and the bonding with your teammates. It allowed us to forget for a little while that we’re struggling and it brought some positive vibes back to the team. So it was really good and we appreciate Coach (Skiles) doing that for us.’’
GOOD DAY FOR APPLING: Reserve point guard Keith Appling is living with a lot of uncertainty in his basketball life now what with him being on the Magic’s roster via a tenuous 10-day contract. But Friday had to be a shot in the arm for the likable guard.
Not only did the Magic sign him to a second 10-day contract, Appling was also selected to play in the NBA Development League All-Star Game. The showcase game will be played on Feb. 13 in Toronto during the NBA All-Star Game weekend.
While playing for the Magic’s D-League affiliate, the Erie BayHawks, Appling was leading the team in scoring (16.8 ppg.), assists (5.6 apg.) and steals (2.12 spg.) at the time of his call-up to the NBA on Jan. 18.
That earned Appling a spot onto the rosters for the NBA D-League All-Star Game. Appling is one of eight players currently on an NBA roster to be chosen for the All-Star Game. Four other all-star selections, including former Magic forwards DeAndre Liggins (Sioux Falls) and Justin Harper (L.A.), also have past NBA experience.
Appling is hopeful that he won’t be playing in the game. He will need to be on a D-League roster to play in the All-Star Game, but he is hopeful that he can stick with the Magic at the conclusion of this second 10-day contract. NBA teams can only sign players to two 10-day contracts and then they must make a decision about whether or not to sign the player for the remainder of the season.
``The main thing that Keith does well is he guards his spot and he’s a very good defender,’’ Skiles said of Appling, who came into Friday having played 15 minutes in two games with the Magic so far. ``He’s good with the ball and he can penetrate. (Erie coach) Bill (Peterson) runs a lot of the things that we run, so he’s familiar with the offense and there’s no learning curve there. If we needed him, I’m not afraid at all of putting Keith in the game.’’