2014 NBA Draft: Sixers Select Elfrid Payton with No. 10 Overall Pick

With the No. 10 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft (thank you, New Orleans Pelicans), the Philadelphia 76ers select point guard Elfrid Payton from Louisiana-Lafayette.

With the 10th pick in the #NBADRAFT, the #Sixers select G Elfrid Payton from Louisiana Lafayette

— Marc Narducci (@sjnard) June 27, 2014

This is a strange pick to say the least, but strictly in terms of where he was selected, this isn't too much of a shock: We had Payton pegged at the 14th spot on the most recent version of our Big Board. Here's an excerpt from a piece that we wrote about him earlier this month:

First and foremost, Payton is a very capable defender. Payton is 6'4", 185 pounds, and has a 6'8" wingspan. Wowser. To put that into perspective, Michael Carter-Williams measured a 6'7.25" wingspan at last year's combine. Payton may be a couple inches shorter, but him matching MCW in wingspan is a very scary proposition for players he is guarding against, as evidenced by his 2.3 steals per game last season and 2.4 steals per game in 2012-13.

The Sixers have five more picks on deck (32, 39, 47, 52, 54), but are done for the first round... for now. Don't stray too far away from the Barcalounger, kids — you never know what the riverboat gambler Sam Hinkie has up his sleeve. Payton or MCW may be on the move within the hour...

Embiid and Payton: What do you think about the Sixers' haul so far?