Around the NBA, 2020/21 Edition

[cedric76]

Looks like Lavine re-aggravated an ankle injury and is set to miss time. Hopefully they miss the playoffs but still win some games. I’d like that pick to stay in the 7-9 range.

You know how much i love Vuc but building around Lavine and Vuc is just dumb, Lavine cant defend to save his life. As long as Chicago don't get crazy during the lottery draw, we ll get a nice pick

[MagicFan101]

Read on Twitter

?s=21

Welcome to Boston, Evan.

[MagicStarwipe]

Vuc is playing more or less like himself (other than the early poor 3pt shooting) and Evan had one of the worst debuts of the shot clock era. I guess we know who is handling the breakup better.

[RookieStar]

Vuc is playing more or less like himself (other than the early poor 3pt shooting) and Evan had one of the worst debuts of the shot clock era. I guess we know who is handling the breakup better.

How about AG?

[basketballRob]

Wonder if Evan scores tonight?

Sent from my SM-G950U using RealGM mobile app

[Kent]

Dwight still a beast. AG showing no fear.

Cool to see these two go at it.

Watch on YouTube

[RookieStar]

Dwight still a beast. AG showing no fear.

Cool to see these two go at it.

Watch on YouTube

Yup 2 former Magic high flying dunk champions go at it.

[ChosenSavior]

Boston looks like hot trash. Evan hasn't even touch the basketball since the 1st half.

[Chanel Bomber]

Hey Magic fans, first of all, I'm glad your franchise finally hit the reset button, I think it was the right decision. I thought you guys won the Vucevic trade. In any case, good luck to y'all.

As a Knicks fan, I was wondering what your thoughts were on Elfrid Payton since he was drafted by Orlando and played the first 3.5 years of his career for your team.

Any memories or impressions you want to share?

[Ducklett]

Chicago hard tanking.

[PrimeThyme]

Hey Magic fans, first of all, I'm glad your franchise finally hit the reset button, I think it was the right decision. I thought you guys won the Vucevic trade. In any case, good luck to y'all.

As a Knicks fan, I was wondering what your thoughts were on Elfrid Payton since he was drafted by Orlando and played the first 3.5 years of his career for your team.

Any memories or impressions you want to share?

Motor && inconsistency was always my issue with Elf. Each season he was here there would be a handful of 3-4 game stretches where he would be one of the best players on the floor. Attacking the rim at will, disrupting passing lanes, playmaking at a high level, && hounding opposing guards on defense as well.

Those stretches would always be followed up with an obvious disengaged version of himself where he would get torched defensively && look bored, disappear on offense, && overall just look like a completely different player who didn't want to be out there.

The handful of stretches always gave me, && some other posters to an even greater extent hope for what he could be. He never will be that player though, imo. Especially not at 27. You can't teach motor. That will always be his problem. I haven't followed his career much since leaving Orlando, but I'd imagine inconsistency has been a general trend with him there as well.

Edit:

Spoiler:

Reminds me of this video of Quin Snyder talking about him. He would have 10 games a season where you would legitimately say this.

https://streamable.com/c9idq

[Chanel Bomber]

Hey Magic fans, first of all, I'm glad your franchise finally hit the reset button, I think it was the right decision. I thought you guys won the Vucevic trade. In any case, good luck to y'all.

As a Knicks fan, I was wondering what your thoughts were on Elfrid Payton since he was drafted by Orlando and played the first 3.5 years of his career for your team.

Any memories or impressions you want to share?

Motor && inconsistency was always my issue with Elf. Each season he was here there would be a handful of 3-4 game stretches where he would be one of the best players on the floor. Attacking the rim at will, disrupting passing lanes, playmaking at a high level, && hounding opposing guards on defense as well.

Those stretches would always be followed up with an obvious disengaged version of himself where he would get torched defensively && look bored, disappear on offense, && overall just look like a completely different player who didn't want to be out there.

The handful of stretches always gave me, && some other posters to an even greater extent hope for what he could be. He never will be that player though, imo. Especially not at 27. You can't teach motor. That will always be his problem. I haven't followed his career much since leaving Orlando, but I'd imagine inconsistency has been a general trend with him there as well.

Edit:

Spoiler:

Reminds me of this video of Quin Snyder talking about him. He would have 10 games a season where you would legitimately say this.

https://streamable.com/c9idq

I appreciate the answer bro, that's an interesting perspective.

[Skin]

Hey Magic fans, first of all, I'm glad your franchise finally hit the reset button, I think it was the right decision. I thought you guys won the Vucevic trade. In any case, good luck to y'all.

As a Knicks fan, I was wondering what your thoughts were on Elfrid Payton since he was drafted by Orlando and played the first 3.5 years of his career for your team.

Any memories or impressions you want to share?

Could not shoot. Defenses sagged. Bangs got in the way of his vision.

[RookieStar]

Hey Magic fans, first of all, I'm glad your franchise finally hit the reset button, I think it was the right decision. I thought you guys won the Vucevic trade. In any case, good luck to y'all.

As a Knicks fan, I was wondering what your thoughts were on Elfrid Payton since he was drafted by Orlando and played the first 3.5 years of his career for your team.

Any memories or impressions you want to share?

Definition of false hope. He woul string these meaningless trip dubs at the end of the season that makes ypu excited of he can finally do it at the beginning of next season.. but alas... same old same old.

Also team dare him to shoot and wont even guard him at the perimeter.

Pretty good passer and driver though.

[pepe1991]

Hey Magic fans, first of all, I'm glad your franchise finally hit the reset button, I think it was the right decision. I thought you guys won the Vucevic trade. In any case, good luck to y'all.

As a Knicks fan, I was wondering what your thoughts were on Elfrid Payton since he was drafted by Orlando and played the first 3.5 years of his career for your team.

Any memories or impressions you want to share?

Payton, to me, is best example of bad tanking without purpose. Guy was never in his career here challenged for starting spot nor pushed hard at practice.
Magic proclaimed he will be starter of a future based on 0 games he played. Next 3 years team was on purpose taking terrible backups just to not outshine him ( Luke Ridnour, washed up CJ Watson, Shabazz Napier, Brandon Jennings, Keith Appling ) . First legit backup PG who team got, DJ Augustin, was heads and shoulders better than him.

Poor motor, most of the time getting killed on pick&roll defense, no jumpshot, zero improvments in his game over years, but probably because he was told he is future despite showing nothing.

[Bensational]

Hey Magic fans, first of all, I'm glad your franchise finally hit the reset button, I think it was the right decision. I thought you guys won the Vucevic trade. In any case, good luck to y'all.

As a Knicks fan, I was wondering what your thoughts were on Elfrid Payton since he was drafted by Orlando and played the first 3.5 years of his career for your team.

Any memories or impressions you want to share?

I think a lot of his shortcomings have already been covered. I would be interested to see what getting to the playoffs and playing in them will do for him.

He has a game that, when on, really can change the tide of a game. He’s had truly unstoppable one-man stretches on both sides of the court. But then he can just disappear.

The fact that shooting 3’s has become such an issue for him is frustrating. It really holds his game back.

But like I said, some meaningful games that he’s earned might finally turn that switch on for him. I think he can still be a serviceable PG who’s good at getting others involved and creating some shots at the hoop. If applied he can be a strong defender but I haven’t seen that in a long time.

[MoMM]

Hey Magic fans, first of all, I'm glad your franchise finally hit the reset button, I think it was the right decision. I thought you guys won the Vucevic trade. In any case, good luck to y'all.

As a Knicks fan, I was wondering what your thoughts were on Elfrid Payton since he was drafted by Orlando and played the first 3.5 years of his career for your team.

Any memories or impressions you want to share?

By the end of the season, when wins don't matter anymore, he will get a lot of triple-doubles.

[tiderulz]

Hey Magic fans, first of all, I'm glad your franchise finally hit the reset button, I think it was the right decision. I thought you guys won the Vucevic trade. In any case, good luck to y'all.

As a Knicks fan, I was wondering what your thoughts were on Elfrid Payton since he was drafted by Orlando and played the first 3.5 years of his career for your team.

Any memories or impressions you want to share?

biggest memories of him.....he always seemed to start playing well after the season was over. When we relied on him in the early part of the season he would disappear. Would give you a decent game and then the next 5 he was invisible.

[MagicFan101]

Brad Stevens packing his bags??

Read on Twitter

?s=21

[Chanel Bomber]

Thanks for the answers.

It's interesting because he was drafted by the Magic (indirectly), which means you surely had hopes for him and probably felt invested in his development. My point is, you were probably more forgiving of his flaws when he was a young player.

We Knicks fans have him as a veteran, and perceive him as such. However, his skill set hasn't expanded, his flaws haven't been fixed, his motor remains the same, so he's essentially still a rookie (and is being treated as one) yet he comes with the expectations of a veteran player. Our perception (broadly speaking) is that he's veteran who affects young players around him, and not the other way around, which was probably your POV his first couple of years in Orlando.

Needless to say, a large majority of Knicks despise his game. There's no scenario in which he's a positive or even neutral player. He's actively destructive when he's on the ball (he's slow, predictable, selfish and inefficient), when he's off the ball (defenses ignore him completely which allows them to crowd our best options), as well as on defense (where he's inconsistent, undisciplined and lazy).

Pepe brings up a good point:

Payton, to me, is best example of bad tanking without purpose. Guy was never in his career here challenged for starting spot nor pushed hard at practice.

I totally agree with this, which is why I hated how David Fizdale kept starting Kevin Knox back in 2018-19 even though he was doing absolutely nothing to deserve a starting role. I always say that player development doesn't happen in a vacuum and it affects the development of the players around them as well, so rewarding incompetence can have a negative impact both culturally and practically.

The crazy part is that what you described is happening in New York with Payton again. He has the longest leash of any player I have ever seen.

In any case, it's cool to know your perspective as Magic fans, specifically about the inconsistent motor.