Hometown Hero, Elfrid Payton Shines in his Pelicans Debut

Well, it didn't take long for Elfrid Payton to endear himself to his hometown team. Not only did the New Orleans Pelicans grab a king-sized win against the Houston Rockets in the Toyota Center in Houston (131-112) but Payton was a huge part of it looking like a true floor general.

The young point guard recorded his 11th career triple-double and only the 22nd time it's happened on a teams opening night in NBA history.

There were many questions as to how this team would look without the likes of DeMarcus Cousins and Rajon Rondo. It's only the first night of a long 82 game season but this was a good start for Payton in his Pelicans debut.

As we know, he's a kid who grew up near the New Orleans area and played his college ball here in Lafayette for the Ragin' Cajuns. It was exciting to see him play well tonight along with the entire team and get a win against, what's supposed to be one of the best teams in the Western Conference.

Here's what Payton had to say right after the game:

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