elfrid payton

Josh Cohen

ranking-elfrid-paytons-best-performances

Ranking Elfrid Payton's Best Performances

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NEW YORK – An Orlando Magic roadtrip that will bring the team to New York City twice in a five–day span – and more specifically to Brooklyn’s Barclays Center – brought back great memories of last June’s NBA Draft for rookies Aaron Gordon and Elfrid Payton.

For both, it was the first time that either had visited New York or gotten to see first-hand the massive expanse of Manhattan. And going back to the Barclays Center – site of last June’s NBA Draft – it reminded them of the night when their dreams were realized to become a NBA player.

Gordon was the No. 4 overall selection of the draft by the Magic, and he didn’t learn his fate until just a couple of minutes before Orlando’s selection was announced.

``It’s surreal going back. There’s a little theme song for the NBA Draft and it still plays in my head every time that I think back to that night,’’ said Gordon, the hero of Orlando’s overtime defeat of Minnesota on Friday with a career-best 17 points. ``It was a pretty nerve-wracking night now that I think back to it. There was a lot of anxiety and you didn’t know what was going to happen. I could have gone to a couple of different teams. I’m just excited that I end up in Orlando.’���

Payton, who saw his stock dramatically shoot up the draft boards prior to last June 26, experienced a wide array of emotions on draft night. He was picked at No. 10 by the Philadelphia 76ers. Then, as he was doing interviews with the Philadelphia media – while wearing a blue and red Sixers hat, nonetheless – Payton was informed that he had been traded to the Magic. Payton said that he will most remember draft night for the relief of finally knowing where his new home would be and where his NBA journey would begin.

``In the two to three hours before the draft I was actually calm,’’ Payton admitted. ``It wasn’t until I sat down and the names started being called that I was nervous. Then, once I figured out where I was going, I was excited to have a home in Orlando.’’

OLADIPO’S ENERGY: Cleared to fly now that the swelling in his face has subsided, Victor Oladipo has rejoined the Magic on roadtrips and he’s itching to get back onto the floor. Oladipo, who has yet to play this season because of a knee sprain and a facial fracture beneath his right eye, go in a hard workout prior to Sunday’s game in Brooklyn.

``The knee feels really good and I feel good,’’ Oladipo said seconds after signing dozens of autographs for fans in Brooklyn. ``Now, it’s just about me getting myself in shape.’’

There is no firm timetable on Oladipo’s return, but he has shown so much progress with his sprained knee that he’s been able to shed the brace he wore for a week before his facial injury. Now, he’s just adjusting to wearing a protective mask on his face and building his stamina back up.

Magic coach Jacque Vaughn said he’s delighted to have Oladipo back around the team because of his infectious personality and the positive support that he offers to teammates.
  ``You can watch the game from (Friday night) and see him in the huddle and on the bench and being around the guys and he’s travelling with the team, it’s nice. It means he’s heading in the right direction,’’ Vaughn said. ``The good thing is the next time you see him he won’t have that knee brace on, so that’s a comfort level for him when he’s back on the floor. The rust comes from just not playing for a month. He was in great shape coming into camp, so he’ll take the time to play some one-on-one, two-on-two and three-on-three and we’ll incorporate him into practice. I think he’ll be OK.’’

ROOKIE ROLE: As a second-round draft pick and a rookie, Devyn Marble knows that he has to try and find ways to make an impact on the Magic wherever possible.
  The long-armed Marble was called on at an unexpected time on Friday night – with 28 seconds remaining in a game that Orlando trailed by two points – and he came through in a big way.

The 6-foot-6, 200-pound Marble was inserted into Friday’s game so that he could use his defensive skills and hopefully force a turnover. And that’s just what happened as Marble and Maurice Harkless set a hard trap on Kevin Martin and Harkless was able to knock the ball free.

``I was ready. (Vaughn) told me to go in and make a play and we just so happened to turn it into offense,’’ Marble said. ``I did what I was supposed to do.’’

The problem, however, was that Marble’s shot on the other end of the floor was swatted by Minnesota guard Mo Williams. As Williams followed through on the block he hit Marble’s right arm and bent it back. Marble ended up with a strained rotator cuff that knocked him out of practice on Saturday and out of Sunday’s game in Brooklyn.

``I didn’t see him coming. I tried to go up quick and get it off the backboard and he came up and was able to get it,’’ said Marble, who has received twice-a-day ice and stimulation treatment on his arm the past two days. ``It’s just unfortunate that he pulled my arm back.’’

Despite getting his shot blocked and his arm injured, Marble said it was gratifying that the coaching staff believed in him enough to insert him into a close game in the final minute.

``It was a situation that we work on in practice and (Vaughn) calls on me in practice and I just try to make plays then,’’ Marble said. ``The fact that coach has seen me make plays in practice and he feels comfortable putting me in in those situations, I’m thankful for the opportunity.’’

ETC: Magic forward Tobias Harris, who was born in Islip and went to high school in Dix Hills, N.Y., had more than 100 family and friends at the game, including his father (Torrel) and mother (Lisa). Harris’ mother, Lisa, and forward Channing Frye’s mother, Karen, are sisters and grew up in Brooklyn just a few miles away from the Barclays Center. Said Tobias Harris: ``It’s always fun to be back in New York so that my dad, mom, brothers and sister can come and watch the game. It’s a good time for me playing here, but more importantly it’s another game that we need to win.’’ … Kyle O’Quinn, a native of Jamaica, Queens, did not make the trip with the Magic so that he could get extra treatment on his sprained ankle back in Orlando. O’Quinn was injured in the opener and missed his sixth straight game on Sunday. He could join the Magic in Toronto for Monday’s practice and Tuesday’s game against the Raptors. … Harkless, also a Queens native, said he needed just four tickets for family members for Sunday’s game. Harkless said he’s worked to trim his ticket requests when back in New York so that he can keep his focus on the games.

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Gordon, Payton Reflect Back on Trip to Brooklyn for NBA Draft

ORLANDO – At 19 and 20 years old respectively, Orlando Magic rookies Aaron Gordon and Elfrid Payton are two of the youngest and most inexperienced players in the NBA. But the 16,379 fans inside the Amway Center never would have been able to tell it on Friday considering the way the two youngsters delivered time and again in the tense moments of regulation and overtime.

And just for good measure both Magic rookies grossly outplayed the top overall pick from last June’s NBA Draft, Andrew Wiggins, in Orlando’s most thrilling victory thus far in the season.

Gordon, the No. 4 pick in last June’s draft, had a spectacular three-point play off a dunk and a game-sealing 3-point shot in the extra period and Payton added 15 points as Orlando surged past the Minnesota Timberwolves 112-103 in overtime at the noisy Amway Center.

Gordon, who had played only sparingly in two games earlier in the week, scored a career best 17 points and grabbed six rebounds. Most importantly, Gordon – the NBA’s youngest player this season – didn’t get rattled with the game on the line and he proved to be a tide-turning spark for the Magic (2-4).

``My energy is definitely contagious. It only takes one person and if he is being active you don’t want to let that person down. It makes everybody else pick up their energy and that’s what I tried to do,’’ said Gordon, who made six of nine shots and both of his 3-pointers and blocked two shots. ``The game of basketball is less fun to me if I’m not playing all-out all of the time. It’s just what I do.’’

Gordon and Payton checked out of the game with 35.9 seconds remaining in OT and they were given a rousing ovation. Payton, the No. 10 pick from last June’s draft whom the Magic acquired in a trade with the Philadelphia 76ers, had 13 of his 15 points after halftime and he twice hit shots in the overtime period.

``I’m just trying to come out with energy and help the team some kind of way,’’ said Payton, who added five rebounds, four assists, a steal and a blocked shot. ``Whether it be scoring, defense, assisting or rebounding – I’m just trying to bring something to the team to try and impact the game.’’

Evan Fournier, another player acquired last June on a draft-day transaction, scored 20 points and hit two 3-pointers for the Magic (2-4). An Orlando squad that started the season with four straight losses won a second consecutive game on the heels of Tobias Harris’ game-winning shot in Philadelphia on Wednesday night.

Gordon came off the bench throughout the game, but he played well in the fourth quarter (six points and three rebounds) and got the start to open overtime. And he delivered in a big way in the extra period. He had a thunderous dunk as he was hacked by Kevin Martin to give Orlando a three-point lead that it would not surrender the rest of the way. And Gordon hit a dagger of a 3-pointer with 1:35 left in OT to seal the victory.

Magic coach Jacque Vaughn had Channing Frye at the scorer’s table at one point late in the fourth quarter, but he eventually pulled the veteran forward back to the bench so that Gordon could finish out the game.

``I just thought his energy was contagious,’’ Vaughn said. ``His defense and his ability to make the right play and stay in the moment – whether it was on a breakaway or at the end of a shot clock – he just did a great job of being ready.’’

For much of Friday night’s game at the Amway Center, the numbers simply didn’t compute for the Magic. At one point in the second half, they were shooting a robust 54 percent, owned a 12-rebound edge on the glass and still they were losing. And the Magic had no one to blame but themselves for their puzzling predicament because of their self-inflicted errors. They finished with 21 turnovers, but they didn’t give the ball away once in the overtime period.

Harris had 17 points and a season-best 16 rebounds for the Magic. Nikola Vucevic, who had 14 points and nine rebounds, hit two clutch free throws with 11.9 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 94. Vucevic got some friendly bounces from the home rims on both free throws as the first rattled in and the second caromed in despite being shot short. And Maurice Harkless combined with Devyn Marble – another rookie from Gordon and Payton’s draft class – to set a hard trap and force a turnover in the closing seconds of regulation.

``The fight and the character shown were positives and everybody on our team was needed,’’ Harris said. ``Mo Harkless came off the bench and gave us a spur, Aaron came off the bench and gave us a great spur. … We brought the intensity on the defensive end in overtime and we got stops. When you stop a team in overtime it discourages the other team. We were mentally tough tonight to get through that barrier and to get another victory.’’

Wiggins, who was traded from Cleveland to Minnesota in July, scored just six points in 27 minutes. Said Wiggins: ``The home crowd got into it. It was a tough loss. We have a game (Saturday in Miami) so we have to look forward.’’
  Orlando’s extremely difficult early-season schedule puts the Magic back on the road again following Friday’s home game. The Magic, who are in a stretch of playing 15 of 20 away games, hit the road again on Saturday and play in Brooklyn (Sunday), Toronto (Tuesday) and New York (Wednesday) this week.

Said Fournier: ``Obviously this win gives us more confidence. It’s a great thing that we won because we have a lot of games coming up on the road and it will be very hard. So hopefully we can continue to build off this.’’

The Magic were once again without standout guard Victor Oladipo and power forward Kyle O’Quinn on Friday night. Oladipo, who has yet to play this season, had surgery two weeks ago to repair a fracture below his right eye and there is no firm timetable on his return because of the lingering swelling in his face. O’Quinn sprained his left ankle in the opener and has missed the past five games. He worked out Thursday and Friday and could possibly play Sunday against the Nets near his hometown of Queens, New York.

Minnesota suffered a big blow in the second quarter when standout point guard Ricky Rubio severely sprained his left ankle a drive to the hoop. Rubio, who entered the game second in the NBA in assists at 11 a game, had four points and six assists in 13 minutes and did not return following the injury.

The Magic, which trailed 52-47 at the half, surged into the lead twice in the third quarter thanks to some ultra aggressive play from Payton, who had a driving dunk just after halftime and had nine points in the period. But Orlando still trailed 77-74 at the start of the fourth quarter because of its 19 turnovers – miscues that led to 17 points for the T-Wolves.

The youthful enthusiasm and relentless energy of Gordon and Payton eventually helped the Magic overcome their turnover troubles, get the game to overtime and win in thrilling fashion in the extra period. Both Gordon and Payton stressed after the game that their ages shouldn’t be an excuse and they expect greatness out of themselves even as rookies.

``I don’t think about (being the youngest player in the NBA) too much because as much as it is a compliment, it’s also a crutch,’’ Gordon said. ``People saying, `Oh, he’s only 19, don’t worry about it.’ I don’t like to hear that stuff. I don’t care about that and I might as well just play basketball like I know how to play.’’

Added Payton: ``We’re all on the same level now and (age) doesn’t matter. The other team doesn’t care and the coaches don’t care (about age). So it makes no sense for us to use that (as an excuse). … I don’t feel like a rookie and I think that helps me. They’re counting on me to make plays and I have to be ready.’’

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Gordon, Payton Show Confidence and Poise in Late Stages of OT Win

PHILADELPHIA – The Orlando Magic made a bold move on draft night last June by trading for small-school star Elfrid Payton and the rookie point guard has already paid dividends by equaling some NBA history in his first four NBA games.

Payton joined Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson and current Washington Wizards standout John Wall as the only players in NBA history to start their careers with four straight games with at least seven assists in each outing. Payton had seven assists against New Orleans and Washington and Wall and then handed out nine assists (versus Toronto) and seven assists (against Chicago) in the past two games.

``It’s cool and it just shows that I am progressing,’’ Payton said before Wednesday’s game in Philadelphia. ``I’ve just got to continue to progress each and every game. I’m just thankful that my teammates were able to make some shots (for the assists).

``My grandpa told me a lot about Oscar Robertson, that he was one of the greatest to ever do it as a point guard and that he averaged a triple-double,’’ Payton continued. ``So I know all about Oscar.’’

Orlando identified Payton’s potential back in 2013 and scouted him extensively during his junior season at Louisiana-Lafayette. And after selecting Aaron Gordon with the No. 4 pick, Orlando quickly worked out a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers for Payton, the 10th overall pick. Orlando shipped Dario Saric – a player expected to remain in Europe for the next two seasons – and a conditional first-round pick from the 2017 NBA Draft for Payton.

The conditional first-round pick shipped from Orlando to Philadelphia originally belonged to the 76ers and was traded to the Magic as part of the three-team, 12-player deal involving Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum.

The pick now going to the Sixers has value, but only limited value because of the restrictions on it. If the 2017 draft pick had landed in the top 11, Philly would have retained it and Orlando’s rights to it would have been pushed back to 2018 – but only if it was outside of the top nine draft selections. If that would have happened, the potential first-round selection would have become merely second-round picks in the 2018 and ’19 drafts.

The Magic feel that they have a player who can be a fixture at the point guard position for years to come.

``As a group when we talked about Elfrid, there were a lot of good things,’’ Magic coach Jacque Vaughn said of the scouting that the team did on Payton before the draft. ``What started it all was the work that Elfrid has put in and how he’s progressed as an individual. His passion and love for the game – those things carry over no matter what conference you are in whether it’s the Sun Belt, ACC or Big 12, it doesn’t matter. For him, that was the start of us knowing he could be a part of us.’’

Considering the restrictions on the future first-round pick shipped back to the 76ers and the potential that Payton has shown already, the Magic are pleased with the deal.

The same could be said for the 2012 trade when the Magic acquired center Nikola Vucevic from the 76ers. Howard lasted just one season with the Los Angeles Lakers before bolting to the Houston Rockets, while Andrew Bynum never played for the 76ers because of knee troubles. Vucevic, meanwhile, has evolved into Orlando’s leading scorer this season and he recently signed a four-year contract extension with the club.

FOURNIER FINISHING: When asked what they have learned about new teammate Evan Fournier, several Magic players have responded that they didn’t realize the shooting guard was 6-foot-7 tall.

That size, combined with the ball-handling skills of a wing player, was one of the reasons that the Magic traded for Fournier last June. Fournier has used his size, quickness and ball-handling skills to aggressively attack the rim so far this season.

Through the first four games, Fournier has gotten to the rim for shots 14 times and he’s converted those tries into points 11 times. He’s also had two others baskets in the paint when he’s beaten his defender off the dribble and aggressively driven in the heart of the defense.

``My mindset is being aggressive,’’ said Fournier, who came into Wednesday averaging 15.8 points a game while shooting 48.9 percent from the floor and 47.1 percent from the 3-point line. ``So if I see a gap I take it. If I have a layup I’ll take it or if I have my big open I’ll pass it. It’s just about me being aggressive.’’

FRIENDLY FOES: Vaughn and Philadelphia coach Brett Brown got to know each other on a couple of levels while together in San Antonio. When Vaughn was wrapping up his 12-year playing career, Brown was a high-energy assistant coach for the Spurs. Then, when Vaughn joined the Spurs’ coaching staff, he and Brown worked together while scouting foes and developing players.

Brown called Vaughn and Magic GM Rob Hennigan – who also has past ties to the Spurs – as two of his ``friends.’’ Brown marveled at the collection of talent that the Magic have been able to assemble. He also stressed that while Orlando is rebuilding like the Sixers, the Magic are much further along in the process.

``They are a program that is a few years into what we’re trying to do, albeit being done maybe a little differently, but with the same philosophy in regards to building,’’ said Brown, whose Sixers organization traded veterans Evan Turner and Spencer Hawes last season without getting many assets in return. ``My group in regard to their birth certificates and their resumes, there is no doubt that this is different than what I’m used to, but I love it. It challenges me to be a better teacher and understand how people learn. I’m in a deliberate practice place where I have to go incredibly slow.’’

ETC: Orlando’s Kyle O’Quinn missed his fourth consecutive game on Wednesday nightbecause of a sprained ankle, but the rugged power forward could be getting closer to a return. O’Quinn got in an on-court workout at the Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday prior to the game. O’Quinn started the final 19 games of last season and the opener this season before badly spraining his ankle in New Orleans. He went back into the game after suffering the injury, but pain and swelling came afterward and knocked him out of action. … Vaughn pushed his starters big minutes on Tuesday in Chicago – Vucevic and Fournier played 40 minutes, while Tobias Harris played 36 minutes and Channing Frye played 35 minutes – even though it was the first game of the team’s first back-to-back of the season. Orlando is scheduled to have 17 back-to-back sets of games this season, and Vaughn hopes to use his reserve players more in those situations. He extended his starters on Tuesday in hopes of beating the Bulls and nabbing the team’s first victory. … Orlando hosts the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night at the Amway Center. The Timberwolves feature the No. 1 picks from the past two NBA Drafts – Anthony Bennett (2013) and Andrew Wiggins (2014).

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Payton Makes History After First Four Games of NBA Career

CHICAGO – Orlando Magic standout Elfrid Payton has said that one of the immediate shocks to the system as a rookie point guard in the NBA is how almost every night he has to face an elite player because of the amount of dynamic talent at the position.

Payton has also taken note of how some of those elite point guards – such as last week’s foes, John Wall and Kyle Lowry, and tonight’s opponent, Derrick Rose – have worked to improve their games once at the professional level.

Rose and Wall, in particular, came into the NBA as No. 1 picks who relied heavily on getting to the rim with their blinding quickness and fearless styles of play. Neither were particularly good shooters early in their careers, but they have worked to make foes pay when they back off by bettering their shots. Just last week, Wall buried several jumpers when Magic defenders went under screens – an element of his game that he didn’t have as recently as a season ago.

Payton, whose Magic (0-3) will face Rose and the Bulls (2-1) tonight at 8 p.m. ET, knows that he ultimately must become a better shooter as his NBA career progresses. Thus far, the wiry-strong rookie with the exceptional vision has been able to thrive as a play-maker for others while handing out 7.7 assists a game – a number that is tied for the sixth-most in the NBA.

Payton, 20, stressed that he can’t change his game against Rose, 25, even though he grew up idolizing the former MVP.

``Something that I can do is just getting into the paint. When I do that, good things happen. And my teammates have been doing a good job of knocking down shots,’’ Payton said of his attacking style of play thus far. ``Go right at (Rose). He’s a regular person. I’m just trying to go out there and get a win.’’

Orlando, which has had alternating issues with rebounding, turnovers and third-quarter issues, will most likely be without power forward Kyle O’Quinn (sprained ankle) for a third straight game. Chicago could be without Joakim Noah (illness) as well, and the Bulls could rest the all-star center because they are in a stretch of playing four games in five nights.

Rose, who missed most of the past two seasons with knee injuries, is listed as probable for tonight’s game after going though Monday’s practice and Tuesday morning’s shootaround. He incredibly sprained both ankles on the same play in Friday’s overtime loss to Cleveland and he did not play in Saturday’s defeat of Minnesota.

Of Payton’s 22 shots so far this season, 15 have come from within five feet of the basket. He converted six of those shots, but he’s had trouble with big men coming over to contest his drives to the rim and six tries have been swatted away. Payton has made one jumper from 15-to-19 feet and one shot from 20-24 feet, but he’s mostly stayed away from those attempts while trying to play to his strengths as a driving playmakers.

In time, he knows that he emulate the likes of Rose, Wall and Lowry and can work on his jump shot – something that should making his driving abilities even more lethal.
  ``I have to keep running my race and doing what I do best,’’ Payton said of his game plan for now. ``Of course, I’m going to continue to work on my game and the rest will come.’’

Rose said he’s watched plenty of film on Payton and he came away impressed with the way the Magic rookie can attack off the dribble. Payton had the best game of his young career on Saturday with 16 points, nine assists and just one turnover against the Toronto Raptors and Lowry.

``He’s a good player and I hear a lot about him. He can go either way and finish with either hand,’’ Rose said. ``You can tell that he is just a baller. He doesn’t talk when he’s on the floor and I just really love his game. He’s somebody that I’ve got to look out for.’’

Magic guard Ben Gordon, who had the best years of his NBA career with the Bulls from 2004-09, said that he’s worked with Payton some on his jump shot and he sees a willingness from the rookie to continue growing his game.

``I definitely getting the work in whether it’s with myself, individually or with coaches. I see him every day working on his craft,’’ said Gordon, a career 40 percent shooter from 3-point range. ``The knock on him right now is that he’s not a jump shooter, but you saw in (Saturday’s) game that he came out and hit a few mid-range shots. I think the more he’s able to do that, defenses will have to play him honestly and that will make everyone around him better as well. … Someone like John Wall, who came in mainly for their abilities in penetration, I look at Elfrid and I think the same thing. Now you see John Wall turning into a respectable jump shooter and you can’t just sag off him. He can hit mid-range shots and even 3-pointers. I think Elfrid has that same ability, but he just have to continue to work and get reps.’’

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Payton Plans to be in Attack Mode Every Chance He Gets

nbaplatformservices

Incredible Hustle From Elfrid Payton vs. Pelicans

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NEW ORLEANS – When they were anxiously passing the time together a night before their NBA regular-season debuts, Aaron Gordon – a sage of 19 years on this Earth – had some extremely mature advice for fellow Orlando Magic rookie Elfrid Payton.

Payton, 20, had extra reason to be nervous in the hours leading up to the NBA season-opener what with his first NBA game coming just a handful of miles from his hometown of Gretna, La. Swamped with well-wishers, ticket requests and family demands, Payton easily could have been swallowed up by the magnitude of the moment Tuesday night.

Instead, Gordon – the teammate he’s known for two years and his closest friend on the Magic – was there to be a calming influence.

``This night is big big-time for him. It’s his home hometown and not 30 or 45 minutes away – this is his actual town. I was talking a little bit with him (Monday) night and I reminded him that it’s still basketball and you go out and operate like you know you can. I know that he knows because his IQ is so high he’ll know what to do.’’
  The pep talk seemed to do wonders for both Payton and Gordon on Tuesday night as both rookies played without anxiousness and showed flashes of promises in the Orlando’s 101-84 season-opening loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.

Gordon, the No. 4 overall pick last June, shot the ball well and scored 11 points with a corner 3-pointer in almost 29 minutes. Payton, whom the Magic traded for on draft night last June, got the start at point guard in his hometown and chipped in four points, seven assists and five rebounds in almost 31 minutes.

``There were no nerves and I was just able to get out there and play,’’ said Payton, who made just two of eight shots and had three of his tries swatted at the rim. ``It was kind of surprising, but once the ball went up I was comfortable out there. I felt like I got the shots that I wanted, but I just have to convert them and help these guys on the boards as much as possible. I’m big enough and I should be able to get in there and get a few (rebounds).’’

An Orlando team playing without standout point guard Victor Oladipo and power forward Channing Frye lost on Tuesday when it yielded 32 second-chance points and 26 offensive rebounds. Those numbers didn’t sit well with Gordon, a high energy player who prides himself on doing the dirty work for the Magic.

``That (rebounding) and a couple of other points are why we lost the game. That (lack of rebounding) is why we lost the game, so we know we have areas to improve,’’ Gordon said. ``It’s not like we played our best game and still lost. We didn’t play all that great down the stretch and we know where we need to get better. … We’ve got to clean up the offensive rebounds and not break down on defense. We have to keep grinding and when we get punched, we have to punch back.’’

Payton and Gordon lived out some of their life-long dreams when they played in their first official NBA games. Payton was cheered throughout the game by a contingent of fans supporting the hometown hero who grew up approximately five miles from the Pelicans’ home arena. Gordon admitted that it was a downright surreal moment to hear his name called for a NBA starting lineup – and then to have that accompanied with the soundtrack of cheering family and friends in the background.

``It was cool to hear my name and have a lot of people screaming,’’ Payton said. ``It just would have been a lot better if we would have won.’’

Payton’s parents, Elfrid Sr. and Danielle, rented out a suite at the Smoothie King Center and had approximately 15 friends and family members on hand to cheer on their son. Danielle, who has blue-and-black painted fingernails (six inches long) that she’s been growing for 12 years, said she was filled with pride knowing that her son was doing what he had always hoped to do.

``It is a lifelong dream for me to see him out on the court,’’ said Danielle, who was dressed in a blue No. 4 jersey. ``We were at the preseason game last Wednesday, so I’ve seen him on the Magic court. But for him to be here for first game in his hometown in front of his family, it will just be so exciting for all of us. … We thought of this as a blessing for him to just get into the NBA. But for his first game to be in front of his friends and family, it’s just beautiful.’’

As he did in college, Payton got in the lane time and again, but things were different this time around with defensive ace Anthony Davis patrolling the rim. Payton made just two of eight shots and had three of his tries swatted away. He said a first lesson was that nothing comes easy in the NBA.

``The biggest thing I learned is that I’ve got to finish and finish at a high level,’’ Payton said. ``And I have to get in there and help out our bigs on the boards.’’

As for Gordon, he said before the game that he would likely be so locked into competing that he might forget to savor his first official game in the NBA. He checked into the game for the first time with 5:17 left in the first period and he certainly looked dialed in his first few minutes on the floor. Gordon aggressively spun in the lane for a hook shot and he confidently stroked a 3-pointer from the corner minutes later to give the Magic an early lead.

Gordon promised that he would go back and study his play on Tuesday and hopefully be better by Thursday. Highly intelligent and an extremely hard worker, Gordon vowed to keeping learning from every game and improve as the season progresses.

``I was just trying to get a feel for it and I think I did,’’ said Gordon, who made five of eight shots. ``It’s never going to be a linear line up because we’re human. But hopefully it’s going to be (gradual progress). But I just want to make as steady a climb as possible.’’

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Gordon, Payton Show Flashes of Promise in Opener

Dan Savage

ORLANDO – While Orlando Magic rookie point guard Elfrid Payton will have the good fortune of making his NBA debut in his hometown of New Orleans on Tuesday, there was a time when he wasn’t allowed anywhere near his devastated home.

With the catastrophic Hurricane Katrina bearing down on New Orleans and his home just across the Mississippi River in Grena, La. in 2005, Payton and his family heeded the mandatory evacuation demands and retreated to stay with relatives in Memphis, Tenn. From there, the Payton family looked on in horror as southern Louisiana was pummeled with a Category 5 storm that proved to be one of the deadliest, costliest and most destructive hurricanes in American history.

For days, Payton and his family couldn’t reach friends and family members that had stubbornly decided to stay behind because of downed power lines and inoperable phone service in the area. For several days and plenty of sleepless nights, the family looked on as horrifying TV images showed people drowning in rising waters, suffering in squalor and in desperate need of food and shelter.

The residents who wisely left New Orleans out of fear of a storm that ultimately killed 1,833 people were not allowed to return to the city because, quite frankly, it was in no shape to have them back. The Paytons eventually moved to housing in Dallas with thousands of other New Orleans refugees, not knowing if or when they would ever be allowed to go back to the Crescent City.

The Payton family’s plight was mild compared to the hellish conditions that those in New Orleans endured. Still, all of the not knowing and having to look on as his home city was being demolished ate at Elfrid Payton’s 11-year-old soul at the time.

``It was so hard to see that happen to my hometown. There was just a lot of worrying that the city might not ever get back up from something so bad like that,’’ Payton remembered thinking nine years ago. ``I had a lot of friends who stayed and I was so worried about them. There was just so much water and so many people struggling and drowning and fighting for their lives. It was hard seeing people struggling in the Superdome, too. I was lucky to not lose anyone, but I know a lot of people who did.

``The city is still not fully, fully back to where it was, but they’ve worked hard to at least get it back up and running.’’

Like New Orleans, Payton knows a thing or two about perseverance and overcoming the odds. He has now made it to basketball’s highest level despite having just two college scholarship offers and being well below the national radar much of his college career at tiny University of Louisiana-Lafayette.

But the fulfillment of a life-long dream will come true on Tuesday night when Payton returns to New Orleans and plays in his first NBA regular-season game. Admittedly, he was a bit floored back in July when he the NBA released the schedule and he saw that his NBA debut would come in New Orleans. It almost didn’t seem real, Payton said recently, but now he would rather be no place in the world than New Orleans – as the large fleur de lis tattoo on his right arm will attest – for this downright surreal moment.

``It just seems kind of poetic. And it tells me that God has a sense of humor I guess,’’ Payton joked while flashing his mega-watt smile.

In addition to being the deadliest hurricane to hit American shores in 77 years, Katrina pushed water inland 12 miles, slammed barges, cars and boats into buildings and ultimately was responsible for $108 billion in destruction.

Incredibly, the Paytons’ home suffered only minimal damage and stayed dry inside because of its position in New Orleans’ West Bank area. When the Payton family was finally allowed to return to New Orleans – some six weeks after the hurricane hit Louisiana – they saw a staggered city that clearly will never be the same.

Undoubtedly, Hurricane Katrina had a profound impact on Payton’s life – certainly in building the gritty toughness that he displayed while rising through the basketball ranks and on the court now with the Magic; but also     the disruption that Hurricane Katrina caused helped shape the path ahead for him.

The son of Elfrid Payton Sr., a legendary football player at Grambling University and a Canadian Football League Hall of Famer as a pass-rush specialist, the younger Payton split his time between football and basketball as a kid. But after the hurricane, Payton’s middle school saw the student population double because of the large number of refugee kids with no place to attend school. Also, the middle school football team was disbanded, leaving Payton only with basketball as an option moving forward.

``I was a pretty good football player, but after that I decided to just go with basketball,’’ Payton said. ``I’m pretty sure that I would have figured that out eventually any way.’’

Payton went to college at Louisiana-Lafayette for three years, but he is still one of the NBA’s youngest players at 20 years old. Being one of the youngest people in school and on the basketball floor is really nothing new to the precocious point guard.

Because of his smarts, Payton started kindergarten when he was 4 years old, graduated high school at 16 and couldn’t even vote in elections until his sophomore year of college. By age 11 and 12, he was already playing in pick-up basketball games at the park against 18-year-olds who all wanted him on their team because of his advanced passing and ball-handling skills.

In fact, one of the first times that Payton ever squared off against players his own age was in the FIBA Under-19 Championships in Prague – an event that proved to be a seminal moment in his basketball career.

``As a little boy, 11 or 12 years old, he was making passes like he is now,’’ raved his father, Elfrid St. ``Even when he was young, he had an understanding and a feel for the game. He’d be at the park playing with guys much older than him. He was so good that the older guys would pick him to play when he was 12 years old and they were grown men.’’

Elfrid Sr. has already warned his son that plenty of veteran NBA players will try and test him physically and mentally this season because of his age and lack of experience. And Elfrid Sr. got to see it firsthand last week when he was in Orlando and witnessed Houston point guard Patrick Beverley belly up to the Magic rookie and hound him all over the floor.

Coincidentally, that was the same game where Rockets star guard James Harden came over to Elfrid Sr. and told him he was very impressed with his son’s toughness and passing abilities.

``That was real nice of (Harden) to do that because he didn’t have to. But Elfrid’s not overwhelmed by this. We all know that this stage isn’t too big for him,’’ Elfrid Sr. said. ``He will respect all of his opponents, but fear none of them. Early on, one thing that will hurt Elfrid is his (lack of) strength. But once he gets as big and strong as them, they will be done.’’

Payton’s belief in himself and toughness comes natural as his father, Elfrid Sr., is one of the best players to ever appear in the Canadian Football League.

Payton Sr., now 46 years old, walked on at Grambling University as a 174-pound nose guard, but ultimately became the Tigers’ team MVP in the 1988 and ’89 seasons because of his abilities to rush the quarterback. He was so highly thought of by Grambling’s Eddie Robinson that when the iconic coach died in 2007 in Ruston, La., Payton Sr. was asked to be one of the pallbearers.

Payton Sr. played in 189 games for seven teams in the CFL from 1991-2004. In 1995, just a year after Elfrid Jr.’s birth, Payton Sr. led the Baltimore CFLers to the Grey Cup title while registering 18 sacks. That squad is still the only American-based team to ever win a Grey Cup and the only one to win at least 18 games in a season.

Payton Sr., finished his career with 154 sacks, the second most in league history. He was inducted into the CFL Hall of Fame in 2010 for overcoming his lack of size – he was just 6-foot-1 and 230 pounds – while playing with speed and a particular ferocity. Legend even has it that once after getting kicked out of a game for fighting he ran to the other locker room, tore down the door and continued to brawl.

Payton Jr. used to watch tapes of his father chasing down speedy CFL quarterbacks such as Doug Flutie and Jeff Garcia. And he’s gotten plenty of talks about the need to be tough – both mentally and physically – when it comes to playing sports. Both now think that has something to do with the way that the younger Payton attacks the basket fearlessly.

``You can knock him down and he’ll come right back at you. Him just being around me and seeing me play, we always talked about needing to be tough, getting up when you are knocked down and being down but not out,’’ Elfrid Sr. said. ``I’ve talked to him about not taking it when he gets scored on. When somebody beat me, I was mad. If you don’t get mad when you get beaten, something is wrong with you. Guys are always going to score buckets on you, but just don’t let it keep happening.’’

The Magic loved Payton’s entire package of skill, smarts, toughness and heart so much so that they made a bold move to trade for him on draft night last June. At the aforementioned FIBA Under-19 Championships, Payton was a late addition to the USA Basketball roster by head coach Billy Donovan (of the University of Florida) almost as a favor to Louisiana-Lafayette coach Bob Marlin.

The 6-foot-3 Payton didn’t just make Team USA’s roster; he ended up being the only player on the team to start every game in the gold medal-winning effort. And it was there that Magic Assistant GM Matt Lloyd first got a look at just how much disruption that the long-armed and cat-quick point guard could cause.

Payton was mostly an unknown in high school and during his early years in college, but his international success set him on his way as a junior at ULL. He averaged 19.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 2.3 steals a game while winning the Left Drisell Defensive Player of the Year award.

And once NBA types had him in to work out in the weeks leading up to the NBA Draft, Payton’s stock shot up into the first round. He’s certainly lived up to the Magic trading for him on draft night by being a standout in the Summer League and holding his own this preseason with his new Orlando teammates.

Tobias Harris, Orlando’s fastest player and best hustler on the fastbreak, has already marveled at how players sprint up and down the floor because they know that the pass-first Payton will get them the ball. Center Nikola Vucevic was stunned a couple of weeks ago when Payton came to him, asked where he liked the ball on pick-and-roll plays and then proceeded to put it right there time and time again. And Ben Gordon, a NBA veteran of 11 seasons, is amazed at just how unflappable the rookie seems by the whole NBA craziness.

``He has poise, he’s gritty and he’s not going to get shaken,’’ Gordon gushed. ``I think he’s one of those guys who just sort of loses himself in the game. He’s a really tough competitor.’’

Added Harris: ``He’s a guy who, throughout our practices, he has proven himself to be the real deal. Elfrid comes in every day and works hard and he has a great pace to his game. He plays with a good IQ and he’s fearless.’’

Tuesday night’s first NBA game in New Orleans might feel like the culmination of an unlikely journey for Payton, but it’s actually just the start of what he hopes will be a long professional career. When he returns to New Orleans, he’ll think of the good times, the city’s major struggles following Hurricane Katrina and the years spent wondering if anyone would ever recognize his talents as a under-the-radar point guard.

Elfrid Payton is going back home, and clearly, there’s no place like home to him.

``Sometimes I think about how far I’ve come, but I don’t want to get too wrapped up into it because everybody has a story. I’m just trying to focus on my game and keep getting better,’’ he said. ``But when I do look back it helps me know that I can get through anything if I put my mind to it and work hard.

``At first, when I saw that our first game was going to be in New Orleans, I was surprised and to tell the truth not really happy about it,’’ he admitted. ``But the more that I thought about it, I realized how cool it is to be able to go back home for my first game. I’m excited to start off back where it all began.’’

paytons-nba-career-will-start-back-where-it-all-began

Payton's NBA Career Will Start Back Where It All Began

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Due to Tropical Storm Nicole, the NBA has announced that the Dallas Mavericks at Orlando Magic game on Wednesday, November 9 will tip-off at 5:30 PM. Amway Center doors open at 4:30 PM.