21. Elfrid Payton, Orlando Magic
Payton is still a non-shooter, which means he can only go so high in these rankings, but his improvements last season were impressive nonetheless. He’s an excellent defender who should continue to grow on that side of the ball, and had an odd knack for going on random triple-double spurts midway through the season.
Even without shooting, Payton can still score the ball. He’s quick off the bounce with a lot of creativity around the basket, which coincides nicely with his vision as a passer. He’s putting up 12.8 points and 6.5 assists per game at 23 years of age. That’s a nice starting point for a Magic team that’s still in the midst of a lengthy and somewhat mishandled rebuild.
As Orlando continues to search for it’s primary option on offense, Payton should act as it’s main catalyst for the foreseeable future. He causes some spacing issues, but knows how to make things happen, whether that be in transition, driving the lane or as a passer. He’s also becoming one of the better defensive point guards league-wide, which in and of itself has tremendous value.