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As it happens, one of the reasons Payton paid a visit was to catch up with Bayless. The two have known each other for some time, forging a friendship out of mutual interest and personality. For Bayless, it’s a chance to pick the brain of one of the all-time great point guards.
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From Payton’s perspective, Bayless has the skills to be a star in the league, but he needs to get past worrying about making mistakes, learn to trust that his skills are enough to keep him on the floor.
“I just told him I like the aggressiveness that he’s got now,” said Payton. “Last year he was a little bit passive, thinking ‘If I take a shot I’m going to come out of the game.’ or whatever. Now that he’s shown these guys he’s coming in here and he’s aggressive. His jump shot is getting a lot better. He’s getting aggressive, more confident. I just told him that’s the way he has to do it. Don’t think about coming out of the game. If you take a shot and you miss, think about getting a steal, show coach you’re going to do other things.
“When he gets down the floor he’s really quick with the basketball. I told him that. I told him that he’s going to have to add a little bit more to his game, when he gets by guys, pull up for a jump shot. He can finish. He can do all that. Now it’s just time to refine his game, make it where he can do everything. I see he’s trying hard on the defensive end, and that’s going to take time too. Everybody got to take time. Take time to become a better basketball player. And he’s got a lot of time.”
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Said Payton: “He’s confident. I’ve always loved that about him. When I first met him we were doing “The Best Damn Sports Show”. I asked him ‘If you were the team to pick first, who would you pick?’ and he said ‘Bayless’, just like that. I said ‘I like you already.’ because you got a lot of confidence in yourself and that’s how we became real close like we are now, talking and everything. Ever since then I knew this kid was going to be good. I loved him because of his confidence. He reminds me of myself.”
