Gary Payton II tries to fit like a glove with the Rockets
LAS VEGAS — The pressure was coming from all fronts on Gary Payton II on Sunday afternoon.
The Houston Rockets needed the rookie point guard to be aggressive in his second summer league game. His father, Hall of Fame guard Gary Payton, was watching from a courtside seat at the Thomas & Mack Center. And the younger Payton was dealing with a sports hernia that most likely will require surgery at some point.
Payton performed well in 10 first-half minutes, scoring five points and recording two assists before sitting down the rest of the afternoon.
The Rockets are searching for depth at the guard position. Payton would like to participate for 82 games, but for that happen, he needs to convert from a combo guard to the new style of point guard, one who scores first, penetrates for kick-outs and creates plays off the dribble. Oh yeah, and makes sure the other players get their shots as well.
“With this game, you can always be aggressive here,” the Hall of Fame dad told ESPN.com. “This is what this game has turned to, especially with guards. If he could just average 10 points, 11 points, 12 points and do the things that he can do, everything else in his game is there. He’s got a good awareness of the game, he knows how to play, he gets rebounds, he throws assists, he’s got a good knack for the game. That’s all you need, you don’t need nothing else.”
In his two seasons at Oregon State, the younger Payton averaged 14.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. He was more than an offensive standout; he was also an aggressive defender, twice named the defensive player of the year in the Pac-12, the first time that has happened in the history of the conference.
And on Sunday, Payton got right in opposing guard David Stockton’s face in the first quarter, making things difficult from the moment Stockton touched the ball.
Payton scored the first bucket of the game on a dunk and was more comfortable running the offense, in comparison to the first game on Friday.
“He was still trying to get his feet wet,” summer league coach Roy Rogers said. “Do I run the offense? Do I attack? You do both; you’re always looking to attack and put pressure on the defense and put pressure on the rim. I thought he came out with an aggressive mindset [Sunday]. I thought he was looking for his shot. I thought he was looking to put pressure on the rim — all that does is make the defense honest and they have to honor him and they can’t go under him on screens. They have to get over him and it puts pressure on the rim.”
Of course, sitting courtside was his famous dad, who lives here and keeps a watchful eye on his son while barking orders.
The famous dad isn’t trying to be a dad; he’s over that. It’s about making sure his son makes an NBA roster.
“We watch all this money be given out to players that are only averaging eight, nine, ten points a game,” Payton said. “You got to say the same thing: ‘Look at what they do and see what they do to be consistent and get yourself in that category where you can get a four-year, $80 million contract.’ That’s what I tell him.”
The son has to run the up-tempo offense, something that doesn’t bother him because it’s what he ran in college.
“In the first game, I had to get it under my belt, get a feel for it and know I got to run a team,” he said. “I was more focused on running the team, making sure guys were in spots and came out aggressive and take early shots penetrate and look for mine, and that’s what I did in the second game.”
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