Elfrid Payton Injury: Updates on Magic PG's Ankle and Return
Orlando Magic point guard Elfrid Payton suffered an ankle injury Monday against the New York Knicks. It's unclear when he'll be ready to return to the court.
Continue for updates.
Latest on Payton's Playing Status
Tuesday, Dec. 22
Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reported Payton is questionable for Wednesday's game against the Houston Rockets.
Payton's Injury Stalls Development
Payton has yet to emerge as a centerpiece of Orlando's rebuild like Victor Oladipo or Nikola Vucevic, but he was hand-picked in the 2014 lottery as the team's floor general of the future.
Payton averaged a respectable 8.9 points, 6.5 assists and 1.7 steals as a rookie, and Orlando was six points better per 100 possessions when he was on the floor for those 82 games, per NBA.com.
So far this season, Payton is averaging 12.2 points, 6.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game before Monday while shooting 41.3 percent from the field.
The good news for the Magic is they have other point guard options on the roster. General manager Rob Hennigan acquired Shabazz Napier from the Miami Heat for a future second-round pick to bolster the team's backcourt depth, and Oladipo can handle some ball-handling duties as well.
Orlando could use its starting point guard in the race for a possible playoff spot in the wide-open Eastern Conference, but the Magic have solid stopgap options at their disposal should Payton miss time.
