Former Oregon State star Gary Payton II, the son of Hall of Fame point guard Gary Payton, surprisingly, didn’t hear his name called on Thursday night at any point during the 2016 NBA Draft.
But it didn’t take long for an organization to come calling with a deal. It was the Houston Rockets, and we’re willing to bet that new head coach Mike D’Antoni had something to do with it.
Houston Rockets will sign undrafted free agent Gary Payton II to three-year deal, league sources inform @clevelanddotcom.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 24, 2016
Payton is known for his tenacious defense, as he took home back-to-back Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Awards as a member of the Beavers, averaging 2.8 steals per game. He was also one of the 10 finalists for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award. Last season, he averaged 16.0 points, 7.8 rebounds and five assists per game, shooting 48.6 percent from the field.
Numerous analysts and draftniks agreed that Payton was one of the most talented players to go undrafted, and that he’d get scooped up quickly. They were right.
Best undrafted players by my projections:
Fred VanVleet
Gary Payton II
Jameel Warney
Ron Baker
Jarrod Uthoff
Derrick Jones Jr.
James Webb— Kevin Pelton (@kpelton) June 24, 2016
Gary Payton II not getting drafted is lunacy.
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) June 24, 2016
Best who didn't get picked #NBADraft
Gary Payton II
Robert Carter Jr
Jarrod Uthoff
Wayne Selden Jr
Anthony "Cat" Barber
Dorian Finney-Smith— Amar (@AllThatAmar) June 24, 2016
One #Mavs source tells me they thought Gary Payton II would go 32-38. So …
— mike fisher ✭ (@fishsports) June 24, 2016
Payton stands at only six-foot-three, but he can elevate, that’s for sure.
Houston is likely hoping he can bring those hops and athleticism to the table, and help run D’Antoni’s high-powered, uptempo offense. He could be Jason Terry’s replacement, as it seems unlikely that the Rockets would bring “The Jet” back, especially coming off the one-year, “prove it” deal he signed last August.
