Ahead of their NBA Cup Finals matchup against the New York Knicks on Tuesday, the San Antonio Spurs G-League affiliate, the Austin Spurs made a significant roster move.
The Austin Spurs acquired the rights to current G-League player and former top-10 pick Elfrid Payton.
After eight straight seasons in the NBA to begin his career, Payton has bounced around since 2022. Since then, Payton has played in Puerto Rico and for the G-League affiliates of both the Indiana Pacers and the New Orleans Pelicans.
Payton also received two brief NBA call-ups, playing a total of 24 games last season between the Pelicans and the Charlotte Hornets.
In total, through nine seasons and 524 NBA games, Payton has a career average of 9.8 points, 5.8 assists and 4 rebounds per game. His best year came in the 2016-17 season where he averaged 12.8 points per game to go along with 6.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game.
One of the main reasons Payton's game hasn't aged well as a traditional pass-first point guard has been his inability to knock down three-pointers at a high percentage. For his career, Payton averages a meager 28.6% from beyond the arc.
That said, if San Antonio were to endure more injuries to De'Aaron Fox or Stephon Castle, Payton is more than capable of stepping in off the bench.
In the meantime, he'll have to prove himself once more in the G-League.
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