Orlando Magic: 5 Christmas Wishes
By Luke Duffy
4. Elfrid Payton Becoming A Better Player
Although he started the season pretty brightly, rookie point guard Elfrid Payton has yet to really kick on and grow in confidence and show more on the court. Sure he can pass, and pass well.
He leads all rookies in assists per game (5.1) and that number would be greater if his teammates would convert more of the pretty dimes he supplies them with. It’s not even all his fault, he’s been as advertized coming into the league. It was well documented that he couldn’t and wouldn’t shoot the ball.
He’s got a lot in common with Rajon Rondo, no bad thing, in that his assists are pretty and he defends well and only figures to get better in that regard. He’s long and disrupts opponent’s plays (he’s second among rookies in steals at 1.2 a game).
But if he could develop even one go to shooting move from anywhere on the court, it would diversify his game and open the court up more for everybody on the court as it forces his defender to be more wary. A 39 percent field goal percentage and 6.5 points a game is not good enough, and hopefully in 2015 those numbers head north.
Next: These Scoring Numbers Make For Grim Reading