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Gary Payton II's NBA Draft profile. The former Oregon Beaver forward is considered a upside project in the upcoming NBA Draft.
June 22, 2016Gary Payton II’s NBA Draft profile. The former Oregon Beaver forward is considered a upside project in the upcoming NBA Draft.
As the son of the greatest player and point guard to ever come out of Oregon State, Gary Payton II had big shoes to fill when he transferred to the Beavers from Salt Lake Community College (Utah) in 2014. His dad, Gary Payton, made it to the Basketball Hall of Fame on the back of smothering defense and a famously brash style of play. He played an integral role in his son even getting an opportunity to play Division I basketball by applying the same tactics that helped him so much as a player: talking trash.
After leaving one of his son’s high school games in disgust back in 2010, the elder Payton tore into his son. As he once recalled, “He was soft. He was really soft. I told him, I just told my son straight up — I don’t like your game. I don’t think you’re good enough to play at the next level or any level. I don’t have to waste my time coming here.”
Payton II – a 6-foot-2 point guard – gradually improved each year after, eventually earning second team NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) All-American honors at Salt Lake Community College, and offers from a number of Division I schools, including his dad’s alma mater.
Now, after two successful seasons at Oregon State – including leading the school to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1990 – Payton II is on the verge of getting drafted as a projected mid-2nd round pick.
As a senior, Payton II led the Beavers in scoring, rebounds, assists, and steals. In both seasons at OSU, he was First-team All-Pac-12 and the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. He was only the second player in school history to lead the team in all four categories, an accomplishment his dad never achieved. He’s also the first ever player to earn multiple Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year awards.
Payton II will be a project. His game is unrefined, but it’s multifaceted and has lots to offer. He does a lot of things well. He’s a terrific leaper and an explosive athlete. At the NBA Combine in Chicago he measured a 38.5 inch vertical leap, tied for the seventh highest of all attendees. He used that athleticism to grab 7.8 rebounds per game, ninth in all of the Pac-12 and the only guard in the top 10.
At 16 points per game this season, he was seventh in the conference. He takes after his dad defensively – who earned the nickname the “Glove” for his defensive prowess – as he led the Pac-12 in steals with 2.5 per game and ranked fourth nationally.
While Payton II has exhibited a versatile skill set, he must develop his shooting game. His jump shot is relatively flat footed and inconsistent. A lot of his scoring came from getting to the basket – which he does well – but he won’t be able to do that as easily at the professional level. Additionally, he wasn’t much of a threat from the three-point line, shooting just 31 percent this past season.
His free throw shooting is also an area of concern, as he shot just 64 percent last season – the lowest of any of the top 24 scorers in the Pac-12.
Payton II has come a long way from the “soft” player he once was in high school. He’s shown a steady upward trajectory, developing physically and in key areas of his game each year. He made the most of his brief window of opportunity to play Division I basketball – setting school records and leading the team to its first meaningful postseason game in over 25 years in just two years – and it makes you wonder what he’ll do with an opportunity to play in the NBA.