Who has the NBA's weirdest hair now that Elfrid Payton got a haircut?

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• Nick Saban casually admitted to transfer portal tampering at Alabama during the NFL Draft and college fans lost it
• LeBron James sounded so defeated trying to explain the Lakers’ playoff woes
• Elfrid Payton cuts his hair. See what he looks…
• Elfrid Payton’s hair covers his eyes during air-balled shot (video)
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Still, maybe it’s time to consider a new hairstyle if the current one actually hurts your ability to see the basket. The change should please the 22 people who signed a petition at Change.org asking Peyton to cut his hair. Now that Kelly Olynyk cut his hair, Spencer Hawes is out of the league and Jeremy Lin got rid of whatever he was doing with the Charlotte Hornets, the All-NBA First Team Bad Hair is getting thin.

Nick Saban casually admitted to transfer portal tampering at Alabama during the NFL Draft and college fans lost it

Like Monday against the Nets, when he air-balled a seven-footer. His hair is literally playing better defense than DeMarre Carroll in this play. No one plays defense on Elfrid Payton like his own hair. You definitely have to be more thought out in the chances you take at this level. But I try to stay as aggressive as possible.

LeBron James sounded so defeated trying to explain the Lakers’ playoff woes

Elfrid Payton Jr. (born February 22, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Mad Ants of the NBA G League. He played college basketball at University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where in 2014 he won the Lefty Driesell Award as the National College Defensive Player of the Year. Payton was drafted with the 10th overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, but was then traded to the Orlando Magic.

Elfrid Payton cuts his hair. See what he looks…

As notable as his new haircut, he appears to be wearing Orlando Magic warmups in the picture. Payton’s rise to the NBA is seemingly the stuff of some Hollywood playwright, but he has made it come true by believing in himself when few others did. Payton’s hair actually holds quite a bit of significance to him.

Elfrid Payton cut his signature hairstyle and now looks completely different

Payton's growth spurt came too late in the high school recruiting cycle, so he developed into a two-way star outside the national spotlight at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. His hair was often joked about as one of the best defenders in the NBA, or an “Elfrid Payton stopper.” Why? Because, well, the flopsy part hanging over his eyes got in the way sometimes.

Elfrid Payton cuts his hair. See what he looks like now - Orlando Sentinel

Elfrid Payton cuts his hair. See what he looks like now.

Posted: Fri, 18 May 2018 07:00:00 GMT [source]

(Shoutout to Carlos Boozer’s “shoe polish hair.”) Speaking of thin hair, I feel you, LeBron James. The NBA’s most recognizable hair (beards excluded, James Harden) is no more. The Phoenix Suns’ Elfrid Payton has eliminated one of the biggest talking points of whatever basketball game he was playing in by cutting his signature hair. To hear Payton tell it, he paid zero attention to the early doubts and indifference from scouts and is right where he always expected to be in the NBA. One of the worst nights of Payton’s basketball life actually served as notice that the steadily blossoming point guard would no longer fly under as a college prospect.

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Most of Payton’s teammates got their hair cut. The biggest tragedy in all of this is that Payton doesn’t look like Jean-Michel Basquiat anymore. But his new haircut does look good, so good for him. From beach blonde and balayage to raven black and "uh oh, make it go back!" Short hairstyles and low-maintenance haircuts to barbered fades and covering grays. Payton’s own hair went in front of his eyes as he squared up for the shot, blocking his vision.

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He found that Payton’s free throws mostly missed by hitting either the front or back of the rim. Little did he know it at the time, but Payton’s performance against Michigan State – combined with a 23-point, seven-assist, four-steal effort against FIU – opened several more doors for him. His coach at ULL, Bob Marlin, sent those tapes to University of Florida coach Billy Donovan to get Payton a tryout for the Team USA’s Under-19 squad. Even though that team already featured Oklahoma State’s Marcus Smart and Duke’s Rasheed Sulaimon, Payton made the squad and became the standout starter at the point. Check back next season for freshAI-powered projections.

The hair might not have been the sole reason for the airball, but it couldn’t have helped. It’s tough to make a shot without seeing the basket. That being said, he might want to consider getting a haircut.

Payton was an under-recruited, sub-6-foot math whiz who only chose hoops as his solo sports focus because his New Orleans-area youth football team disbanded after Hurricane Katrina. This upcoming NBA season may show us whether his hair was actually a problem. But regardless of how you felt about the appearance of his hair, or its effect on his game, there’s no denying that it was unique. Payton’s hair made him a recognizable player even though he isn’t a superstar.

Magic guard Elfrid Payton has one of the more unique hairstyles in the NBA. It goes in all sorts of directions — his hair really is something else. I’m all for self expression, and I even like Payton’s hair! And I think it may be finally time for him to try something new. Either answer is bad and, to be honest, the hair appears to be an all-around distraction of some manner. It’s hitting him in the face while he shoots.

A quick survey of folks around our newsroom found most people think he looks younger with the new haircut. Payton admitted that he will always play with a chip on the shoulder mentality because of his overlooked high school career and his small-school reputation in college. A product of tiny Weber State, Lillard was the surprise sixth pick in 2013, won the Rookie of the Year award and become a playoff hero for the Portland Trail Blazers in 2014. Thoughtfully reimagined—this is your Society. This isn’t a commentary on the actual look — express yourself, Elfrid!

Elfrid Payton’s hair is often a topic of discussion in the NBA? Because honestly he’s the only player out there trying to pull something like this off while also playing in the league. I've never talked to him about any of that. When we talk, it's not really about that. It's just basketball, and really just when I see him at games. Unfortunately, John Ehret was beaten in the semifinals by Scotlandville.

He no longer needs gimmicks to get noticed on the basketball court, but he has no plans of cutting his curly, high-rise hairdo anytime soon. He didn’t cut it after losing that high school game, he didn’t trim it in college and he has designs on continuing to grow it out in the NBA with the Magic. What a brilliant move by Payton to wait until his restricted free agency to finally cut that mop. That way, teams might actually talk themselves into his jump shot improving now his hair isn’t blocking it.

People want to express themselves with their haircuts. The game presents you with shots, and you've got to take those shots. Certain things are supposed to happen at certain times. I actually had to play in a game without contacts.