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Elfrid Payton 2019 Player Outlook
5 years agoNew York Knicks point guard Elfrid Payton has quickly become a journeyman in his young career. After spending the first three and a half seasons of his career in Orlando, he now finds himself in the Big Apple via Phoenix and New Orleans. Payton filled up the box score nicely both as a Sun and as a Pelican, but both franchises had different plans going forward and these didn't include a point guard who doesn't have a reliable jump shot. It's the only major flaw in Payton's game. There were six players with at least six triple-doubles last season in the league and Payton was one of them. In March, he became only the fifth player in NBA history to record five consecutive triple-doubles, joining Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson, and Russell Westbrook. Dennis Smith Jr. will offer some nice competition for him for the starting spot at point guard in New York, so Payton, who averaged 10.6 points, a career-high 7.6 assists, and 5.2 rebounds last season, might be able to elevate his game even further. He should certainly be aiming to do so after getting dumped by multiple organizations.
