TORONTO -- Not just any first-year player can step in and play about 30 minutes a night as a starting point guard. Elfrid Payton isn’t looking at the degree of difficulty, though. The Orlando Magic rookie calls it a blessing. He knows there will be growing pains. He sees it as fun.
Take rookie calls: An attacking player like him is going to take contact. A 20-year-old isn’t going to get the benefit of the doubt.
“Maybe going into the lane, getting bumped a little bit,” Payton said when asked his toughest moments as a pro. “Like, obviously bumped. I’ll just be like, all right.” He then flashed a sheepish smile. “Like, no rookies, no rookies really get no calls.”
He continued: “I’m not one to look for calls, but you know.”
A reporter offered a sympathetic nod.
“Yeah,” Payton responded. “Right. But it’s cool, man. It’s cool.”
Payton’s averaging 7.3 points and 6.0 assists per game two weeks into his NBA career. He’s experienced highs and lows already -- on Oct. 30, he went without a field goal and turned the ball over six times against John Wall and the Washington Wizards. Two days later, he had 16 points, nine assists and just a single turnover against Kyle Lowry and the Toronto Raptors.
He quickly learned an essential truth about the league: There’s always another game. Good or bad, no one cares what you did yesterday.
“It’s like a whirlwind,” Payton said. “Everything happens so fast. You’re here one day, you’re somewhere else the next day. Game, a quick practice, another game. Always traveling. I don’t know, It’s just a lot. It’s a lot, you know? But when you have good guys around you, you keep a good mental about you, you’ll be all right.”
Magic head coach Jacque Vaughn said he’s “tested him to a high degree” with his playing time, and Payton might not necessarily see the floor this much as the season goes on. Vaughn expects him to make mistakes, but likes that he’s accepted every challenge. You immediately notice Payton’s wild hair, then you see it belies his controlled manner.
Backup point guard Luke Ridnour said it simply: “Same every day.” He also used the words “calm demeanor” and “even-keeled.” Payton hears people say this stuff all the time.
“That’s something I always had,” Payton said. “Guys look to the point guard. I can’t be too happy or too down on myself ‘cause guys are looking at me.”
He's the son of Hall of Fame Canadian Football League defensive end Elfrid Payton, Sr., so it shouldn’t be surprising that Willie Green mentions his toughness before anything else. The veteran Orlando guard likes Payton’s style. He can tell how good he wants to be. You can question his jumper -- the major weakness listed on every scouting report coming out of Louisiana-Lafayette -- but not his willingness to compete.
Big man Channing Frye pours out praise: hard worker, good listener, knack for the ball, great on defense. The last bit comes requires some elaboration: Payton is “playing guys almost blind” for now, Frye said, relying on his ability to stay in front of people. When he matures and understands the nuances of team defense, he’ll be special. Payton said he’s adjusting to the fact that you can’t totally shut guys down on this level -- he recognizes that the goal is to stay solid and stick to the game plan.
“I think he can be one of the best defenders in the league, to be honest,” Frye said.
Toronto head coach Dwane Casey said Payton’s one of the quickest at his position and compared him to Wall. Minnesota head coach Flip Saunders said he’s holding his own so there’s no sense trying to go at him. Payton’s showing some signs on offense, too -- against the Timberwolves last week, he made two huge buckets in overtime when defender Mo Williams went under screens. Orlando won that game largely thanks to Payton and fellow rookie Aaron Gordon in the extra frame.
Green said what stands out with young players is when they work at something in practice and it translates into games. When Payton shoots with confidence, it’s “almost like a proud-dad moment” for Green. Vaughn said he hopes that Payton having the opportunity to make those plays against Minnesota helps him 30 games from now.
“I think it helps my teammates trust that I can make plays like that,” Payton said. “I think it’s a part of me growing.”
The 31-year-old Frye loves to share stories with Payton -- “he don’t shut up,” Payton said -- and he wants him to know the team has confidence in him. Payton was a fan of Frye’s ex-Suns teammate Steve Nash, and he’s happy he's getting to hear all about him.
“We have not-that-similar games, but he’s a great passer,” Payton said. “I’d like to be known as one of the great passers when it’s all said and done.”
In Toronto on Tuesday, Payton played a season-low 19 minutes. He had a total of two points and three assists, all recorded in the first quarter. Ridnour played all of the fourth ahead of him, even with Raptors guards Lowry and Lou Williams making play after play. It wasn’t a highlight night for Payton, but there’s another game in New York on Wednesday. By now he’s shown everyone in Orlando he can bounce back just fine.
“That’s why we back him no matter what,” Frye said.
