By John DentonSept. 15, 2015
ORLANDO – Elfrid Payton had one of the greatest rookie seasons while playing point guard in the Orlando Magic’s 26-year history.
The hope now, of course, is that all that Payton accomplished last season – the back-to-back triple-doubles, the second-most assists as a rookie in Magic pinstripes and the appearance in all 82 games – was just the tip of the iceberg. After all, there’s still so much room for improvement from the 21-year-old point guard with the floppy hair and the off-the-charts basketball smarts.
Potentially aiding Payton’s improvement is the hiring of head coach Scott Skiles, someone who thrived in the NBA for 10 years because of his smarts, toughness and work ethic. Skiles sees great potential in Payton, but he’s already pushing him to be more aggressive and assertive while running the team from the point guard position.
The Magic’s ability to make major strides this season could very well correlate with Payton’s attempts at improving his own game. Orlando fully expects Payton to be a factor with his abilities to break down foes and distribute the ball and pressure others on the defensive end of the floor. Now, if he can just improve a jump shot that he’s worked hard on all summer, he could take his game – and ultimately the Magic – to the next level.
Training camp for the Magic opens on Sept. 26, and OrlandoMagic.com has started our in-depth look at the team’s roster, position by position. Today, we look at the point guard position – one of the deepest spots on the team because of GM Rob Hennigan’s gutsy trade for Payton in June of 2014 and this summer’s additions of C.J. Watson and Shabazz Napier.
In the coming days, we’ll breakdown the Magic at shooting guard (Victor Oladipo and Evan Fournier), small forward (Tobias Harris and Mario Hezonga), power forward (Aaron Gordon, Channing Frye and Jason Smith) and center (Nikola Vucevic and Dewayne Dedmon).
Today, we break down the Magic’s strengths and weaknesses at the point guard position:
POSITION: Point guard
PROJECTED STARTER: Elfrid Payton (2014-15 stats: 82 games, 8.9 ppg., 4.3 rpg., 6.5 apg., 1.7 spg., 42.5 FG percentage, 26.2 3FG percentage, 55.1 FT percentage).
PROJECTED RESERVES: C.J. Watson (2014-15 stats with Pacers: 57 games, 10 ppg., 2.9 rpg., 3.6 apg., 43.4 FG percentage, 40 3FG percentage, 82.6 FT percentage); Shabazz Napier (2014-15 stats with Heat: 51 games, 5.1 ppg., 2.2 rpg., 2.5 apg., 0.8 spg., 38.2 FG percentage, 36.4 3FG percentage, 78.6 FT percentage).
OVERVIEW: Payton showed last season why the Magic were so willing to invest in him, compiling the kind of rookie season that leads many to believe that he will be a fixture on the roster for years to come. And, because of his basketball smarts and his work ethic, the Magic truly believe that the best is yet to come. Payton has worked hard this offseason to re-tool his shooting form – something that should make him an even greater threat to defenses this season. Payton must be a willing shooter when defenses back off of him, and if he can drill the mid-range shots and the floaters in the lane it will open up even more avenues for additional assists to his teammates.
Orlando went out and shored up its depth behind Payton by adding two proven shooters in Watson and Napier. Both can play point guard and also can play alongside of Payton at shooting guard – similar to the skills of Victor Oladipo and Evan Fournier. Their additions provide the Magic with some much-needed shooting late in games and make the point guard position one of the team’s deepest positions.
STRENGTHS: Versatility is an often overlooked strength, but in Payton, Watson and Napier the Magic have three players who allow Skiles to play a variety of different ways. Payton will undoubtedly receive the bulk of the minutes and his abilities to break down the defense, distribute the ball and pressure defensively will be key to Orlando’s success this season. But having a veteran like Watson and a respected shooter like Napier will come in handy on those nights when Payton is struggling to shoot the ball. Teams won’t be able to back off of Napier because of his outside accuracy, while Watson has the guts to take and make big shots at the end of games.
WEAKNESSES: Shooting with accuracy will always be a concern as long as Payton is the primary point guard. Too often last season, Payton was a reluctant shooter – even when foes backed off of him and dared him to try and beat them. Skiles worked with Payton during summer-league action to try and get him to have the mindset of looking for his own shot more. The Magic aren’t asking Payton to become Ray Allen; they simply want him to be able to knock down mid-range shots when foes leave him alone or go over the top of screens. Payton has worked to improve his form this offseason and along with the better mechanics of the shot, Payton must be willing to let it fly when he is left open to keep defenses honest.
EXPECTATIONS: Payton was an all-rookie performer last season and if he can make progress with his jump shot he could evolve into a top-12 point guard in the NBA this season. His vision, defensive instincts and smarts are uncanny for a point guard as young as he is. The Magic’s ability to make a big jump this season could very well correlate with Payton’s ability to improve as a second-year point guard. Adding Watson, a player respected in the locker room and throughout the NBA for his toughness, should be a major boon for the Magic. Napier also can score points in bunches and could be another steal of a trade for the Magic. The point guard position is a major strength for Orlando – something that can’t be understated in a league that is full of great point guards.