Elfrid Payton generating early buzz ahead of NBA draft

NBA teams are starting to find out that there's more to love about Louisiana-Lafayette point guard Elfrid Payton than just a terrific hairstyle.

Payton, who finished his junior season as a relative unknown nationally thanks to the low-profile of ULL, has been one of the buzziest names in the early stages of the NBA draft process.

First, the background: Payton averaged 19.2 points, six rebounds, 5.9 assists and 2.3 steals this past season, shooting 50.9 percent from the field. Those are very impressive numbers, and the scoring, assist and steal averages all ranked top-40 nationally.

But the Ragin' Cajuns play in the Sun Belt Conference, meaning Payton was a bit off the radar and playing against possibly inferior competition, though he impressed with 20 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals in a Round of 64 loss to Creighton in this year's NCAA Tournament.

In any case, Payton was considered a late first-round pick initially, a status that has seemingly now been upgraded to potential late-lottery pick.

Yes, Payton is impressing. First, despite just a 6-foot-2.5 height measurement without shoes, he posted a 6-foot-8 wingspan, an 8-foot-2.5 standing reach and a 35.5-inch vertical jump at the combine last week. He also reportedly drew "rave reviews" for his interviews at the combine.

Then on Thursday, there was this note from ESPN draft guru Chad Ford, who has been high on Payton for some time:

His performance has been enough that Ford has Payton mocked to go 20th in the draft now and ranks him as the No. 17 prospect. If he can start to flash a 3-point shot in workouts, the primary weakness in his game, he could sniff the lottery.

There is still plenty of time between now and the draft, of course, and buzz is just buzz, but Payton's the first name to really shoot up boards during the pre-draft process, so he's worth keeping an eye on.