The Orlando Magic love their young team and they expect to take a big step forward this season and compete for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. One of those young players they are so high on is point guard Elfrid Payton who is coming off a very impressive rookie season. Payton is currently dealing with a hamstring injury that has caused him to miss some preseason time and as of right now it is unknown if he will be available for Orlando's first game, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.
The Magic open up their season on Wednesday against the Washington Wizards and head coach Scott Skiles says that it is a prerequisite that Payton gets a full practice in before he plays in games. Over the weekend Payton was only able to participate in the non-contact portions of practice but he did say that he thought his hamstring was feeling better. Skiles wants Payton to be able to go through a full practice without limitations before he plays and he is running out of time to get that done before the first game.
Payton sat out Orlando's final five preseason games with the injury and hasn't played since October 8th. Last season Payton didn't miss a single game but that doesn't seem as likely this year. Even if Payton were to play in the opening game it is unlikely that he would get big minutes or play a major role as John Wall is one of the quickest players in the league and it is tough to stay with him on healthy hamstrings.
The good news for the Magic is the fact that they have some solid depth at the point guard position this year. If Payton is unable to play on Wednesday they will likely go with C.J. Watson as the starter at point guard and Shabazz Napier as the backup. Napier was acquired in a trade with the Miami Heat earlier this offseason and could help fill Payton's shoes while he recovers.
Although the Magic have other options Payton is the guy with the highest ceiling who they need healthy if they want to make a run at the playoffs. The first team All-Rookie performer averaged 8.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game in his first NBA season and it seems like the sky is the limit for the 21 year old but he needs to stay healthy in order to continue to progress and help the Magic take that step forward.
