Elfrid Payton’s struggles at the free throw line continued on Wednesday night.
I’ll be the first to admit that I love Orlando Magic rookie Elfrid Payton. It’s common to hear me gush over the 6-foot-4 point guard and his ability to defend and facilitate, and I truly believe that he’ll be an All-Star in this league relatively soon.
However, that doesn’t mean that the 10th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft doesn’t have his struggles, and his inability to shoot the basketball effectively is certainly a major issue for Payton and the Magic. Payton is shooting 38% from the field this season, 45% from the free throw line, and he has an effective field goal percentage of 39.5.
So it’s no surprise that when Payton stepped up to the free throw line during the Magic’s 114-86 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night that he didn’t convert on the freebies. What is surprising is that Payton embarrassed himself by airballing two consecutive free throws.
Payton finished the loss with 8 points and 6 assists, but was a horrific 2-of-9 from the free throw line.
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