By John DentonNov. 3, 2015
NEW ORLEANS – What good is it coming back home and having all of this local knowledge and not sharing it with the friends those closest to you on the Orlando Magic?
That was the thinking that spurred Elfrid Payton, a native of nearby Gretna, La., to invite teammates Aaron Gordon and Mario Hezonja back to his family home for a Cajun-themed feast following the Orlando Magic’s practice on Monday. Then, hours later, Payton took Victor Oladipo with him to his one of his favorite restaurant’s along New Orleans’ famed Canal Street.
“I went home for a little while and spent some time with my family and a few of my friends. I took a couple of the (Magic) guys to my house and I took Vic out to eat at a place that I always go to,” said Payton, who said that his grandfather is the family’s best cook and put on yesterday’s feast. “Jambalaya, red beans and rice, fried chicken, ribs and a lot of stuff.
“Other than that, it was just a normal day before a game,” Payton added. “I’m trying to keep everything the same.”
Being back in New Orleans, where Payton overcame the odds of being an undersized guard with an unorthodox jump shot and made it to the NBA, is often difficult for him. His signature floppy hair style started during his senior season at John Ehret High School and he hasn’t cut it since. Payton had just one scholarship offer after high school, but he went on to star at Louisiana-Lafayette and become the No. 10 pick of the 2014 NBA Draft.
Tonight, Payton’s focus won’t be so much on all of his friends and family in the crowd and instead on Orlando’s need to defeat the New Orleans Pelicans. Both teams are 0-3 and desperate for a victory following heartbreaking starts to the season. While the Pelicans have already lost twice to the defending champion Golden State Warriors, the Magic have dropped three games by a total of nine points. They are just the third team in the last 10 seasons to lose their first three games of the season by five points or less – joining the 2006-07 Denver Nuggets and the 2011-12 Minnesota Timberwolves.
“We have to be able to get one here on the road and get our season going,” Payton said.
A year ago, Payton played the first game of his NBA career in New Orleans – something that cause his usual anxiety levels to soar even higher. He had seven assists and played 31 minutes in front of his parents, grandparents, college coach and many of his former Louisiana-Lafayette teammates.
“I always get nervous before games, but last year was my first NBA game ever,” Payton recalled. “I had a few more jitterbugs and things like that, but this time around I’ve been around the league. I still get nervous before games, but not as many (jitters).”
Payton’s season thus far has mostly fallen flat because of a string of bad luck. He missed the final five games of the preseason because of a strained right hamstring. And in three regular season games – ones where he’s had to face superstar point guards John Wall, Russell Westbrook and Derrick Rose – Payton has averaged 9.7 points, 5.3 assists and 4.7 rebounds.
At issue is Payton’s 36.4 percent shooting from the floor and his three of nine accuracy from 3-point range – areas where he worked hard this summer to improve. Payton has also struggled somewhat to adapt to Scott Skiles’ offensive system that emphasizes passing and cutting more than dribbling. Skiles wants to see Payton play with more confidence and aggression – especially on the defensive end of the floor.
“He’s been OK, but we need more. We need more consistency from him with regard to his focus and effort,” Skiles said. “He’s worked really hard this summer and he’s worked on his shot. It hasn’t necessarily paid dividends yet, but we think it’s going to because he’s putting in the work. We need more from all of our guys, period.”
Protruding from his Magic jersey tonight will be a large tattoo on Payton’s right shoulder. It is of the image that New Orleans’ NBA team used upon moving to the city from Charlotte for the 2002-03 season. Formerly the Hornets, the franchise became the Pelicans before the 2012-13 season, but the tattoo on Payton’s shoulder lends some insight into his strong roots in New Orleans.
“Being from New Orleans, I wanted a fleur-de-lis (tattoo), but I didn’t want just a regular fleur-de-lis, so I decided on a Hornet,” he said of the logo in the heart of the design. “I wasn’t a big Hornets fan, but I just rooted for them because they were the home team. I got this (Hornet tattoo) because I wanted a fleur-de-lis.”
Payton said that regardless of where his NBA travels take him New Orleans will always be home and trips back here will always be special. He returned to his local middle school and high school last spring, telling kids his story of how he made the climb to the NBA. So for as much as Payton will try to treat his return here as just another game, he knows deep down that playing here will always be a special treat.
“It’s home and it’s basically why I became the person that I am today,” Payton said.
