Player of the Week: Elfrid Payton wears new uniform well
Newly acquired Elfrid Payton seamlessly fits into the Phoenix Suns’ starting point guard role and didn’t miss a step in this player of the week award.
After being acquired by the Phoenix Suns from the Orlando Magic at the NBA trade deadline, Elfrid Payton wasted no time in making an impact with his new team. Payton has started 237 out of 284 games of his career, including his first three with the Suns. In his first week with the Suns, Payton has thrived in Phoenix as the team’s starter.
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In the Suns defeat to the Denver Nuggets, Payton’s shined in his debut. He ended the game with 19 points, six rebounds and nine assists, while making 8-13 field goal attempts and all three of his free throw attempts. Payton’s debut also coincided with Dragan Bender reaching a new career high in points.
Payton was the lone bright spot in the Suns’ blowout defeat to the Golden State Warriors. He was the Suns’ leading scoring, finishing the contest with 29 points, eights rebounds and five assists, while shooting 11-18 from the field, 2-4 on 3-pointers and 5-7 on foul shots. Payton put up his second highest point total this season during this game.
The Suns may have lost to the Utah Jazz, but Payton had a phenomenal game. He recorded a triple-double with 13 points, 11 rebounds, 12 assists, one steal and one block. He shot a solid 5-11 from the floor, 1-2 from behind the arc and made both of his free throw shots. This was Payton’s first triple-double of this season and the ninth of his career.
Honorable Mention
After earning player of the week honors, Josh Jackson was unable to retain his title from last week. He did play well enough to get honorable mention this week. During the second seven day span of February, Jackson averaged 16.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.3 blocks and 0.7 steals.
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The Phoenix Suns appear to be in a good place at the point guard position with Payton on the roster. For this past week, he has averaged 20.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 8.6 assists, 0.3 blocks and 0.3 steals. If Payton’s production can stay close to this level then he should be a part of the Suns’ future.