By John Denton

April 22, 2015

ORLANDO – The Orlando Magic are on the outside looking in at the playoffs for a third straight year, but there is plenty of optimism for the future because of the on-court potential and off-court mentality of rookie point guard Elfrid Payton.

Why, just a week ago when the Magic’s regular season ended, Payton dejectedly sat at his locker following the final game. The rookie had just played his 82nd game of the season – the only Magic player to appear in every game – and he was hungry for more. His Magic had long since been eliminated from playoff contention, yet Payton didn’t like the bitter taste that came with being done just as basketball’s real season was about to begin.

Confidently, Payton predicted that he and his teammates would put in the work and make the necessary improvements to make sure that they are more of a factor next season.

``Next year, we’re going to be over the hump – simple as that,’’ predicted Payton, referring to the Magic’s tendency of losing close games this past season. ``We’ve got to continue to get better and the only way to do that is to put in the work. I know that’s what I’m going to do. This year was hard, but this offseason is a big one and next year we’ll be ready.’’

Payton proved himself plenty ready this past season, compiling one of the best rookie seasons in the NBA. He might have come into the league as the kid with the cotton candy-like hair that blows back as he streaks down the floor, but he left it last week being known as a difference-making point guard who can make plays both for himself and others. Despite hailing from a small school and having some wonder if he would ever be able to play at a high level in the NBA because of his obvious shooting deficiencies, Payton had an electrifying first season.

While leading all rookies in assists (6.5 apg.) and becoming the first first-year player to compile consecutive triple-doubles in 18 years, Payton vaulted himself into the running for the Rookie of the Year award. Undoubtedly, Minnesota forward Andrew Wiggins is the favorite and seasoned pros Nikola Mirotic and Nerlens Noel have had stellar seasons, but Payton is the surprise of the rookie class after being somewhat overlooked. Considering all of the doubts that surrounded the Magic trading up to get Payton last June on draft night, the rookie is proud that he has proven himself to be among the best first-year players in the NBA.

``It’s a blessing just to be considered,’’ Payton said of the Rookie of the Year award talk that surrounded him much of the season’s final month. ``I’ve put in the hard work and I’ve gotten better along the way. So to be recognized for what I’ve done now, it’s pretty cool.’’

There is no set date for when the NBA will announce the Rookie of the Year award, but it is expected to come sometime in the next two weeks.

The Magic have plenty of reason to be excited about the future what with second-year shooting guard Victor Oladipo and Payton in the backcourt. The two of them developed a nice chemistry throughout the season and were able to get the Magic plenty of easy baskets by pushing the pace in transition. And while both of them struggled at times with their outside shots, they made up for that by finding one another on cuts to the rim and dribble hand-off plays. Together, they see what they did in the 2014-15 season just the start of a long partnership together.

``This is just the tip of the iceberg of what we can do and we’re going to just keep getting better over time,’’ said Oladipo, who grew his game greatly while spending more time at the shooting guard position because of the addition of Payton at the point. ``E.P. had a great rookie season and we’re only going to get better together. We’re going to spend a lot of time together this summer and work on our games.’’

With Oladipo missing the first nine games of the season because of a facial fracture, Payton became the first rookie in Magic history to start on Opening Night at point guard. (Penny Hardaway – more on him later – started at shooting guard in 1993 alongside of point guard Scott Skiles). Payton wasted little time making his mark, equaling some NBA history by registering at least seven assists in his first four games as a pro.

Payton hit an invariable lull in the guts of the season, even losing his starting job for a period of time. But one thing that Payton is most proud of is the way that he improved as his rookie season progressed. He was the NBA’s Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for January (10.7 ppg., 6.9 apg., 4.3 rpg., 1.9 spg.) and he was even better in February (7.8 ppg., 6.2 apg., 5.1 rpg., 1.7 spg.), March (13.2 ppg., 8.4 apg., 5.9 rpg., 1.8 spg., 45.8 FG percentage) and April (9.5 ppg., 8.4 apg., 4.5 rpg., 3.3 spg., 64.7 FT percentage).

Payton said it wasn’t until the first of the year that he fully felt comfortable running the offense from the point guard position. It was then, he said that the speed of the game slowed down for him and he became a more instinctive player than one who was thinking so much about his next move. He also noted that a series of strong performances also helped him fully realize that he belonged at the NBA level and could thrive against basketball’s best.

``I’d say I started to get it going about January,’’ said Payton, whose post-All-Star numbers (11.1 ppg., 8.3 apg., 5.4 rpg., 2.1 spg.) dwarf those of his pre-All-Star numbers (7.9 ppg., 5.7 apg., 3.7 rpg., 1.6 spg.). ``I’m very proud of the fact that I got better as the season went along. It was my goal since summer league to get better each and every day. To see the growth that I’ve made that’s big time to me.

``You’ve got to put in the work and understand that there are going to be some trials and tribulations because not everything is going to be smooth along the way,’’ Payton continued. ``I’ve just tried to keep pushing and knowing that the results will come if I keep on working.’’

That strong finish – which included the consecutive triple-doubles against Dallas and Portland in mid-March – helped Payton make a strong run at Hardaway’s rookie record for assists with the Magic. Payton finished the season with 533 assists – just 11 shy of Hardaway’s team record. Just being mentioned in the same sentence with Hardaway – another do-everything guard who was a two-time first-team All-NBA selection – was awe-inspiring to Payton. And it also made him hungrier to keep pushing for more out of his career.

``That’s special to be up there with him. Penny was a great player and I just want to keep building on what I’ve done,’’ Payton said. ``I just want to keep getting better and maybe one day I can be the all-time all assists leader for the Magic.’’

Whereas passing the ball and racking up assists is an almost innate skill to Payton, shooting the ball is an area where he still needs an immense amount of growth. Too often last season, foes would go over screens rather than battling through them because they didn’t have to worry about Payton pulling the trigger on jump shots. Other times, foes – such as the Atlanta Hawks – dared the rookie to shoot and played him to pass, something that caused Orlando’s offense to bog down in a late-season loss.

For the season, Payton shot 42.5 percent from the floor, 26.2 percent from the 3-point line and 55.1 percent from the free throw line. Those numbers are quite similar to other rookie point guards such as Jason Kidd (38.5 FG percent, 27.2 percent and 69.8 percent), Rajon Rondo (41.8 FG percent, 20.7 3FG percent and 64.7 FT percent) and Derrick Rose (47.5 FG percent, 22.2 3FG percent and 78.8 FT percent) who came into the NBA as poor shooters.

Payton’s struggles were typical of most wide-eyed rookies. He shot significantly better at home (45.2 FG percent and 59.8 FT percent) than on the road (39.2 FG percent and 49.5 FT percent). He was significantly better in Magic wins (46 FG percent) than in losses (41 percent) and his percentage up was up a tick after the all-star break, giving him and others belief that he can be a solid shooter in the future.

``He’s going to be a special kid,’’ said Kidd, now the coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, before an April game. ``Just keep shooting and working at your craft. It takes time and he wouldn’t have the other (defensive and passing) strengths if he focused on just his shooting. He brings a lot more to the floor than just shooting because he plays both ends. It just takes time.’’

Payton is excited about the time ahead in his career because he feels like he laid a strong foundation for his career as a rookie. He said he will spend his summer working with shooting coach Dave Love – someone who worked wonders for fellow Magic rookie Aaron Gordon – and he wants to watch loads of game footage in an attempt to become a better on-court leader for the Magic.

The hope, Payton said, is to make enough progress over the summer so that he’s in a position to make the Magic a significantly better team next season – quite possibly one that is pushing for a spot in the postseason.

``I think I got off to a good start. I think I had a pretty good season, honestly,’’ Payton said confidently. ``This is what I expected. I expected a few ups and downs, but I expected to be better as the season went on. I think I did that and I think I set a nice base for myself. Now it’s time to improve.

``I think I can get a lot better and that’s my goal this summer,’’ he added. ``I’m looking forward to growing my game. I’ve got to become a better student of the game, work on my jump shot and become the leader that this team needs me to be.’’

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