Gary Payton II's Emergence Makes Oregon State Intriguing Team to Watch

Entering the season, there weren't many reasons for anyone outside of Corvallis to pay attention to Oregon State basketball. 

The Beavers lost their top five scorers, who accounted for nearly 84.0 percent of the team's point production in 2013-14. They were picked to finish last in the Pac-12, well below 11th-place Washington State, by Pac-12.com. Their second-most experienced player shared a name with a certain Disney hug-loving snowman. 

By all indications, it was going to be a nondescript, rebuilding year for new head coach Wayne Tinkle. 

The rebuilding part still very well may be true, but junior college transfer Gary Payton II is making sure there's nothing nondescript about the Beavers' season. 

A son of the former NBA legend by the same name, Payton has displayed a similar skill set to the Hall of Famer. Offensively, he has the ball-handling and quickness to attack the rim and collapse the defense in an instant. Defensively, he has the length and relentless nature to give opponents fits. 

Those traits showed up against Grambling on Monday night, as he tallied 10 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists and six steals. It was the first triple-double in Oregon State history since his dad:

"It means a lot to me," Payton II said after the game, according the Associated Press via ESPN.com. "We can laugh about it."

With so many key players gone from last year's team, Payton has stepped up as the Beavers' best all-around player. 

According to Sports-Reference.com, he is second in the Pac-12 in field-goal percentage (55.6), second in effective field-goal percentage (61.1), third in rebounds per game (9.7), ninth in rebounding percentage (16.3), first in steals per game (2.6), second in steal percentage (4.6), first in defensive rating (78.8), third in offensive rating (131.2) and fourth in player efficiency rating (28.7).

JucoRecruiting.com's Brad Winton talked about his rebounding, in particular:

Forget about Newcomer of the Year. Payton is already establishing himself as one of the best players in the Pac-12. 

With conference play approaching, things are only going to get tougher for the 7-2 Beavers. But in large part to Payton's dogged defense on the perimeter (and Tinkle's defensive-minded pedigree), Oregon State currently owns Ken Pomeroy's sixth-best defense in the Pac-12. 

The Beavers aren't going to win the conference, but there will be nights when they shock some teams. 

And with Payton thriving on both sides of the ball, it will be fun to watch.