MIAMI — Elfrid Payton surprised himself Tuesday night.
The Orlando Magic rookie point guard expected butterflies to rattle inside his stomach as his NBA preseason debut against the Miami Heat approached. But the nervousness never quite materialized.
He entered the game in the first quarter, and less than a minute later, he ripped the ball away from Dwyane Wade. Payton dribbled down the court, slowed as he reached the paint and shoveled a pass to Maurice Harkless for an easy layup.
The play foreshadowed the rest of the night for Payton, who starred in obscurity at mid-major school Louisiana-Lafayette and became the 10th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. To be sure, Payton had a few missteps, but he still impressed as the Magic defeated the Heat 108-101 in overtime at AmericanAirlines Arena.
“I thought he had great composure on the floor, and I love watching him play,” Magic coach Jacque Vaughn said. “He has just a great feel for who to get the ball to, when to get into the paint. He did a great job tonight of just orchestrating and being a leader on the floor.”
In 32 minutes, Payton scored four points, dished out seven assists, recorded two steals and turned the ball over five times.
“I wasn’t that nervous at all, surprisingly,” Payton said. “I thought I was going to be a whole lot more nervous.”
His calm showed late in the game. He ran the Magic offense for the final seven minutes of the fourth quarter and the entire overtime.
He received some help, too.
Power forward Andrew Nicholson tied the score 95-95 when he sank a baseline jumper with 0.2 seconds left in regulation.
And rookie swingman Devyn Marble entered the game midway through the fourth quarter and scored 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting.
“I just keep it simple,” Marble said. “It’s basketball. I’m just playing it at a higher level than I did last year, and I’m just trying to come in and make plays and help my team win.”
Still, no one produced more on offense than a pair of fourth-year players who are eligible this month for contract extensions, Tobias Harris and Nik Vucevic.
In 22 minutes, Harris finished with 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting. He grabbed seven rebounds and distributed three assists.
In 21 minutes, Vucevic added 16 points and six rebounds.
“We came out very aggressive as a team on both ends of the court,” Vucevic said. “I think Tobias and me were very aggressive offensively, especially Tobias, early on.”
The Magic employed a starting lineup of Luke Ridnour at point guard, Evan Fournier at shooting guard, rookie Aaron Gordon at small forward, Harris at power forward and Vucevic at center.
Vaughn explained he chose Ridnour, who is about to begin his 12th NBA season, because Vaughn wanted to start a veteran in the opener.
“He’s been there, done that,” Vaughn said before tipoff, adding he wanted to pair Ridnour with one of the Magic’s young players. That player turned out to be the youngest player on the roster, Gordon.
Gordon, the fourth overall pick in June, began the game guarding Luol Deng and looked lost at times on both ends of the court.
In 29 minutes, Gordon finished with six points and eight rebounds.
But Gordon made a reverse layup to tie the score at 93 with 1:00 remaining in regulation. A few seconds later, Gordon preserved the tie by altering a long-range jumper by Shabazz Napier.
“I thought he was very aggressive, whether it was getting to the rim or getting to the free-throw line,” Vaughn said of Gordon. “I thought his shots were pretty contained within our offense. Defensively, he got his feet wet, and he’ll learn. Luol Deng’s a great cutter off the basketball.”
Gordon, a 19-year-old who played one season at Arizona, is considered a potential defensive stopper who, at the same time, also is raw on the offensive end of the court. True to expectations, Gordon went 2 for 6 from the field and 2 for 6 from the free-throw line.
“More than anything, it was fun,” Gordon said. “I enjoyed myself out there. I played hard. And we won. So that always makes everything better.”
Payton, a 20-year-old who played three seasons at Louisiana-Lafayette, seemed more sure of himself. On offense, Payton impressed with his court vision and with his ability to push the ball upcourt in transition.
Late in the second quarter, Payton had just crossed midcourt when he spotted Harkless streaking down the court with no one between himself and the hoop. Payton threw the ball forward, leading Harkless perfectly, and Harkless finished the play with a dunk.
Passes like that by Payton impressed Magic players.
“He’s good, man,” Vucevic said. “He can play. He’s a true point guard. He plays hard. He’s a great defensive player. He’s got long arms, and he uses them very well.”
In the visitors’ locker room, Payton was informed that several of his teammates had praised him for finding them with crisp passes.
The rookie’s eyebrows arched.
“That was my job and that’s something I wanted to accomplish: let these guys know that if they cut that they’re going to get the ball if they’re open,” Payton said. “So far, so good.”
jbrobbins@tribune.com. Read his blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/magicblog and follow him on Twitter at @JoshuaBRobbins.
