Taco Bell Skills Challenge: Who Does Brandon Knight Have To Beat?
By Adam McGee
Jan 18, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic guard Elfrid Payton (4) against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Elfrid Payton
Payton is the only rookie playing in this year’s Skills Challenge, but that doesn’t mean that he should be taken lightly. Coming out of Louisiana-Lafayette, the youngster was rated as one of the best true point guard prospects on the board in last summer’s Draft.
True point guard tags normally translate over to high IQ players who are good distributors, and Payton is no different. Alongside Victor Oladipo, he’s helping to set the ground work for what has the potential to be one of the league’s most exciting backcourts for long into the future.
The most glaring weakness in his game could have a significant impact on his chances of emerging as the victor tonight though, and that’s his shooting. Payton has only made 42 percent of his field goal attempts, while his 19 percent three-point shooting and 54 percent accuracy from the free throw line are particularly dismal.
Aside from that, Payton is averaging 7.9 points, 5.7 assists and 3.7 rebounds in 28 minutes per game as a rookie.
Will his shooting let him down though?
Next: Trey Burke