Elfrid Payton has been all over the NBA during his eight-year career, but right now he is playing for the New Orleans Pelicans and doing some impressive things.
He might not be scoring a ton of points every night, but his assist game is off the charts.
According to StatMuse, Payton has recorded 150 assists this season, along with his 78 points.
Elfrid Payton this season:
150 assists
78 points pic.twitter.com/8ShbB9co0x— StatMuse (@statmuse) April 11, 2025
Just the other night, he scored only two points in a game against the Milwaukee Bucks while also securing 15 assists.
The game before it was three points and 10 assists, and before that, it was zero points and 10 assists.
So even when he isn’t making buckets, he is creating assists, which is a very remarkable accomplishment.
For the season, his average is 3.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 6.8 assists.
He recently signed another 10-day contract with the Pelicans, which will take him to the end of the season.
Because New Orleans has been so bad this year, their 2024-25 is just about over, which means Payton’s time to shine is coming to an end, at least for now.
Where will he go next season, and can he continue to keep helping out his team?
That remains to be seen, but optimism is high.
Payton entered the NBA in 2014 and has played for a number of teams.
He started with the Orlando Magic and then moved to the Phoenix Suns, Pelicans, New York Knicks, and Charlotte Hornets.
At times, his points average was above 10 per game, but that has changed, and now his emphasis is on assists.
That seems to be working because he is setting up his teammates on the court every single night.
You don’t often see a stat line like this in the NBA, and Payton is showing he has a very particular skill set.
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