The Orlando Magic have gone as their heartbeat, Elfrid Payton, has gone.
Payton is the herky jerky point guard with not much of a shot who gets into the paint well and creates for others. Payton is not going to lead the team in scoring or make a ton of shots, but he always seems to be a triple-double threat and can fill up a stat sheet quickly.
His ability simply to get into the paint off the dribble disrupts defenses and opens things up for teammates.
When he has played well, as he did in December, the Magic are better. In December, Orlando had a 106.5 offensive rating with Payton on the floor and a 102.6 offensive rating with him off the floor. The Magic were cruising with him off the floor, but were much better when he was out there.
He has battled injuries for the first time in his career and his play has really taken a downturn since then. Since spraining his ankle against the Portland Trail Blazers on Dec. 18, the Magic have just a 96.4 offensive rating with Payton on the floor and a disastrous 111.9 defensive rating.
That turnaround has been one of a multitude of signs of the Magic’s struggles this season.
So on one hand, Elfrid Payton is one of the top players 21 years and under in the league by many measures. But on the other he is struggling with the pressure of winning and living up to his responsibility in many ways.
That was the center of conversation on the SportsTalk Florida Insiders Show last Saturday. Carson Ingle and Eric Lopez broke down some of the issues with the Magic and they called out Payton’s struggles of late:
As Ingle noted on Orlando Magic Daily, Skiles has sent some subtle criticism at Payton during this losing streak for his poor defense on opposing point guards. Payton has been rather subdued after games of late, giving quick one-word responses while teammates give more fuller explanations to the media.
That may be just who Payton is as a person. He is a quiet person. He has been trying to work on his vocal leadership. Answering questions from the media in the pressure-packed winning environment is part of his maturation too.
How Payton responds will be part of the Magic’s second half of the season. It is very clear he still matters to the Magic and their success.
