Orlando Magic: Make-Or-Break Season For Elfrid Payton?

Is Elfrid Payton running out of chances to prove he can be the long-term answer at the point guard position for the Orlando Magic?

Over the course of this summer, the Orlando Magic have gone from intriguing young group to one with much more of a veteran feel. The additions of Serge Ibaka, D.J. Augustin and Jeff Green, among others, will do that.

But there’s still a belief around the team that some of the young guys will grow to be the best players on this team. One such player is Aaron Gordon, and given that the Magic are at their thinnest at the forward position, that spot is up for grabs should he rise to the mark.

Elfrid Payton is the other young guy many hope will step up and be a big contributor before long, hopefully this coming season. For Payton however, the path to success on this team is a bit trickier, as there are many guards that fit into the rotation.

This summer, the Magic signed backcourt players Jodie Meeks, D.J. Augustin, C.J. Watson and C.J. Wilcox. Now, not all of these guys are point guards like Payton, but they are all guards who will require minutes on this team.

Wilcox is the most intriguing of these newcomers, as he is still a young player who, like Payton, is entering his third year in the league. With this renewed competition for playing time, should Payton be worried about his future with the Magic?

On the surface that would appear to be a no. Three of the four guards are veteran players who have likely been brought in to help Payton grow as a player. Meeks can act as a mentor, and will have to do so now that he has been ruled out indefinitely following surgery on his right foot.

Augustin has spent much of his career as a backup floor general, and if he is to have the same role with this team, there is no doubt he will be able to do that well. In fact, he could be primed for a breakout year.

Watson has plenty of experience too, and is a career 38 percent three-point shooter. The Shabazz Napier experiment of last year may not have worked, but Watson can be the long range shooter from the point guard position that this team will need on certain nights.

Looking at these moves, and the modest amount of money that went into signing all four guys, it looks like they have been made to act as a security blanket for Payton.

If he’s having a bad night, Augustin is more than capable of playing starter’s minutes (he spent two seasons in Charlotte as a starter earlier in his career). If he’s not making baskets, Watson can come in and do different things offensively to get his team going.

Back to Wilcox though. In two seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers he appeared in 44 games, never starting in one. His career averages don’t even merit talking about as they are so low.

But he’s the kind of low risk (the Magic parted with a second round pick to get him) move that could pay off in a big way. Evan Fournier is expected to be the starting 2-guard here, but we’ve seen that he can light it up off the bench.

Bringing both he and Augustin, and potentially even Nikola Vucevic, into the game midway through the first quarter would give the team a whole different look.

Whereas Payton and Bismack Biyombo will get into the paint and punish from there, the second unit has more of a pace-and-space feel to it.

Wilcox should not be a starter at this moment, but his talents would seem to mesh quite well with Payton’s, on paper at least. Victor Oladipo may be gone, but the team has added another young player who they will hope can grow next to Payton.

So no, Elfrid Payton does not appear to be on borrowed time with this team. In fact, it looks like many of the moves made this summer were done so to cater to his unique skill set. If he’s having a bad night, others are now available to pick up the slack, and they’re veterans.

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However that does make this season a make-or-break one for different reasons entirely. If Payton can’t succeed here, with all of the help he has been given, he may not be brought back for a fourth season.

So while everything feels good right now, in some ways this may be his last chance with the Orlando Magic. Failure to once again make the playoffs may not fall squarely on him. An inability to take that step to the next level with an effective support system in place would, however.

That may be a negative view on Payton’s role with this team going forward, but if you look at the moves made this summer, the team is tired of waiting around for one of their guys to become a star.

The closest thing they’ve had to that, Vucevic, could only look on as Biyombo was signed to a sizeable contract this summer. The Orlando Magic are tired of being a lottery team, and they’ll do whatever it takes to become relevant again.

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That’s why Payton should be nervous about this upcoming season. He’s never been in a better position to succeed with all of the help now available to him. It just raises the stakes considerably should he fail.